Fast and Furious: O sol se põe no Brasil
by NikitaDreams
Summary: Dom and Letty run into an old friend and a lot of trouble as they continue to evade the law. This time are they in over their heads? Please note that this story highly references the fourth film in the franchise and goes AU from that point.
1. If You Walk Away

Title: Fast and Furious: _O sol se põe no Brasil_

Author: Mynd's Matter

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the films nor any of the bits of plot I may have referenced. All original characters are my own.

Summary: Dom and Letty run into an old friend and a lot of trouble as they continue to evade the law. This time are they in over their heads? Please note that this story highly references the forth film in the franchise so it contains some spoilers. However none of the original cast is dead in this version (aside from Jesse, sorry) and Leon and Vince both eventually come back into the picture.

Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction for a live action film but I was really inspired. I wanted to know if there was a way to do the fourth movie without killing off Letty. Please note that I do not know much about cars, nor about the places where this story takes place. I did a lot of research, but if I get anything wrong feel free to point it out. Now, please enjoy!

_Prologue: If You Walk Away_

_Can I tell you now, As you turn to go  
I'll be dying slowly, 'til the next hello  
If you go away_

"_If You Go Away" – Emiliana Torrini_

He'd been watching her sleep for a good ten minutes now.

He stood slowly, grabbing his bag from the floor as silently as he could. His boots still made too much noise on the wooden floor as he crossed the room. He was halfway to the door before she spoke.

"If you walk out that fucking door, I won't forgive you."

He stilled, hand dropping to his side and looked over at her. She was still lying on the bed, curled on her side, over-sized white dress shirt (his), hair curled around her face. But those dark expressive eyes were open and staring at him.

"Let..."

"Don't you dare. You were trying to sneak off on me while I was asleep. Seriously Dom, what the fuck?" She sat up now, eyes narrowed at him accusingly. "I thought we discussed all this earlier. Or don't I have a say anymore? Your way or no way?"

"I just don't think..."

"No you don't think." She crossed her arms over her chest. "All the sudden after how long we've been together you think it's not safe for me to be with you anymore?"

"It's not. Hasn't been for a while."

"You think I didn't understand what I was doing, Dom? I made my own decisions, same as you. Think if you weren't around I wouldn't do the same crazy shit? So you want to leave and then what? I'll take the money I have and go back to LA and Mi and never see you again?"

"It's better that way."

"Why? Cause you wouldn't feel guilty anymore about this? Is that what this is? Cause you shouldn't." She stopped then, dragging a hand through her hair.

"Letty don't you get it? Today... with the truck. You could have died. I don't want to be putting you in danger any more."

She sighed, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Where would I be safer than with you?" Her voice was soft and she tilted her head slightly, looking up at him.

"Anywhere else?" He cocked a brow at her, disbelieving.

She laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You're wrong. Today with that truck Dom... you saved my life. I knew you would. I know you always will. What if you left and I decided to do something crazy on my own? You wouldn't be able to do shit about it. Something happens to me and all you get is maybe a phone call from Mi eventually... that's it. And this would be goodbye?"

He was silent, and his jaw tightened as he stared down at her. "I don't want you doing any of that shit anymore."

"Fine. Look, we'll move on. Do something normal for once or something. No more heists, no more crazy shit. Just you and me. I don't care Dom."

"Normal?" He stared at her, still standing by the door but now fully turned away from it. "How long do you think that will last? Can we even do normal?"

"Shit, I don't know." She sighed, dragging her hands through her hair before lifting her head to stare at him with those dark eyes. "What was your plan? Where were you gonna go when you left me here without a word?" Her gaze was accusing and he dropped his bag.

"Wasn't sure. Hop the first boat out of here," he muttered.

"If we're hopping a boat why not Brazil?" She stood up, digging through the bedside table. "I told you we should go to Rio."

"Why there? It's a tourist trap." He ran a hand over his head and crossed towards the bed. No way he could leave her behind now.

"Mia forwarded this. Got it a couple days ago, remember?" She held up the folded stack of papers. Some letter.

"Yeah. What is it?"

"It's from Leo."

"Shit, seriously? Where the fuck is he?"

"Brazil." She grinned at him then and sat down next to him. "Hooked up with some girl, lives with her there now. Got fucking hitched."

"Are you kidding?" Dom stared at the letter in her hands, trying to wrap his head around the idea of Leon married. "To some Brazilian chick?"

"No. It gets better. She's American. Was down doing some program. Doctors without borders or some shit." She laughed at the look on his face. Leon married a doctor.

"But he lives in Brazil?"

"Yeah. Said she's opening a clinic there. He's got a garage. They got a little place a ways outside the city. Address and everything is here Dom. We could go, could leave today." Letty looked at him and then glanced around the bedroom of the little house that had been home for them for a while now. It held good memories, but it was time to leave those behind.

"Don't you think they're watching Leon's place?" he asked, his gravelly voice weary and she reached over to rub his shoulder gently.

"They wouldn't know it's him. Changed his name now. Took the girl's or something. He's been off the radar for years anyway Dom."

She was right and he was vaguely bolstered by the thought of seeing another familiar face. Maybe this could work.

"Pack your shit Let, we're going to Brazil."


	2. Home Is With You

Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews guys, all that for a tiny prologue! I have a lot more planned, including bringing back Vince, yes, eventually. Just to note pairings in this fic are Dom/Letty, Leon/OFC, and I plan to have some sort of Mia/Brian/Vince triangle. Next few parts are just some "normal" happenings before our favorite team gets into trouble. So enjoy it while it lasts!

PS, I usually don't get chapters out this fast and finals are approaching so don't expect a new post every day! *grins* I just happened to have this written up along with the prologue.

_Chapter 1: Home is With You_

_I remember time,  
I remember days slid into years,  
Building lifetimes, thinking you'd be here._

"_You are Goodbye" – Holly Conlan_

It was a week later when they were in Rio, driving from the coast through the crowded streets. Traffic was at a crawl and Letty yawned from the passenger seat, flipping the radio to try and find something that came in clear. It was hot and humid so the windows were up and the AC was on. The GPS was giving directions in Spanish and the road up ahead wound between lush green hills.

They'd decided that since it was the middle of the day the best idea would be to try and find Leon at his shop which was located in the suburban area of Rio called Cordoso Moreira. Traffic was sparse as they traveled higher up into the mountains, the one lane road winding up between rocky prefaces and groups of lush foliage. The thick brown-watered river wound its way alongside them as they drove, sun glinting off its dull surface.

Houses crowded together and low-lying buildings clustered the winding roads where the hills broke away around the little town. Along one of the streets apartment buildings and businesses sat close to one another. Their GPS showed their stop approaching and Dom pulled the car over to park at the curb. The tan stucco building had a fresh coat of paint and two large garage doors which sat wide open in the midday sun. There were cars parked in front of it and pulled inside, one up on a lift as a dark-skinned man in greasy coveralls circled it, marking things down on a pad. Music was blasting from somewhere in the back.

The glass door on the other side of the building had the words "L&S Body Shop" stenciled in white lettering and a sign that proclaimed they were open in both English and Portuguese. Letty pushed the door open and stepped into the air conditioned room. A woman with dark hair and honey colored eyes sat behind the desk and she glanced up when they walked in. She said something and Letty was able to get the gist of it through her knowledge of Spanish.

"We're looking for the owner," she said, "Leon?"

The woman smiled and nodded, then replied in halting English, "He's at clinic today. Up road." She motioned with her hand and turned back to her work.

Letty looked over at Dom and shrugged. They went back to the car and she sighed as she slid into the passenger side. Dom pulled back into traffic and Letty lowered the window, turning off the AC as the smells of food and exhaust washed over her. People were mingling here on the streets, some working in the sun, and some walking in different directions. A man with a weathered face manned the grill at a little shack where the local workers were lined up to get lunch. A woman stood by the side of the road in shorts and a bikini top, screaming angrily into her cell phone. A man and a young boy were loading fishing gear into the back of an old truck.

Letty turned her head as she heard music pounding and caught the sight of a pretty black Audi RS4 pulling into a parking lot up ahead. The back seat was stuffed with boxes and the music blaring from the car's speakers was definitely in English, a song she hadn't heard before. She realized Dom was turning into the same lot and watched as the Audi pulled into a space at the front of a sprawling one-story building. A woman stepped out, definitely not Brazilian. Her light brown hair was pulled up into a sloppy ponytail and sun-streaked blonde. She was tan but not dark and her cheeks were red from too much time in the midday sun. She wore torn denim shorts and a white tank top that had seen better days. She rounded the car to open the passenger door and a big black dog leapt out, immediately running through the front door of the building that was propped open with a cinderblock.

She was moving to get boxes out of the back seat as Letty and Dom got out of their car. She turned her head at the sound of their doors slamming shut and studied them for a moment, eyes concealed behind her sunglasses. She turned then, calling into the building.

"Lee, you got visitors!"

They couldn't hear his muffled reply but apparently the woman did cause she yelled back again. "Get your ass out here and find out!"

It was the dog that raced out of the building first, all teeth and drool and Letty stepped back, wondering if it was going to attack.

"Buster! Sit!" The woman snapped and the dog obediently fell onto his rear haunches, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he panted excitedly.

"Don't mind him," she said. "He was supposed to be a guard dog but turns out he's more like a teddy bear."

Leon appeared at the door a moment later, wiping his hands on a rag. He wore jeans and a white wife beater that were both splattered with paint. He stopped, stared at them and then let out a loud laugh.

"Well shit, look who it is!"

He grabbed Letty in a tight hug that had her smiling and then pulled back, looking down at her.

"Damn girl, you're looking good."

"Thanks Leo, you're not so bad yourself. Someone finally got you to shave eh?"

He rubbed a hand over his mostly smooth jaw sheepishly and shrugged. "Yeah, got a girl now." He reached over to grab Dom's hand in a tight shake, and then hugged him with one arm. "Man, I'm glad to see you guys. Finally got my letter, huh?"

"Yeah," Letty answered, watching as the woman behind Leon continued to unload boxes and bring them into the building. "Mia got it to us eventually."

"I figured she could." He smiled brightly, eyes crinkling around the edges and then laughed again, turning towards the building. "Shit, Ain't I being a real ass? I gotta introduce you."

They followed him towards the door, where the dog, Buster, was still sitting. He looked up at them, cocking his head to the side questioningly. Leon rubbed a palm over his head. "Good boy." The animal stood then and followed them in, his nose sniffing questioningly at their guests. He was all black, but his paws were brown like little socks and so was his belly. His tail was a short little stump that seemed to be going a mile a minute.

Inside the place smelled like paint and it was warm. Fans circulated the air and all the windows were open to let out the fumes. The front room was painted mute sandy tones, with a long mahogany colored desk stretched out across one wall. The floor was still unfinished and there was no furniture but it had the hints of a waiting room already. Doors on either side of the long desk were open, taken off at the hinges and hallways in a cream hue stretched out behind them.

"Hey Baby?" Leon called.

The woman reappeared, head poking out of one of the doors. She smiled, paintbrush held in one hand. "Your brain finally catch up with you enough to remember to introduce your wife?"

He laughed, rubbing a hand through his hair sheepishly. "Yeah, yeah." He motioned towards his old friends. "This is Dom and Letty and guys this is my wife, Sydney."

They shook her hand and she smiled again. "Leon talks about you guys all the time. The good ol' days with the team in LA."

"Yeah those were the days," Dom replied.

"How the hell did you hook up with Leon anyway?" Letty asked, cocking a brow at the man in question. He scowled at her.

Syd laughed, shaking her head. "We met in Recife. I guess he was there lying low and I was doing some work with Doctors without Borders. We had these shitty ancient trucks that we used to transport all our supplies to the clinics and that we used to make our weekly runs into the more poverty stricken towns and they kept breaking down."

She paused in her story, grinning over at Leon who was leaning against the wall shaking his head. "I like cars but I really don't know anything about them other than how to change the oil," she continued. "So I decided to take em into a mechanic and Leo happened to be working there. I think it took two minutes for him to start hitting on me…"

The others laughed and Leon grinned shamelessly.

"And you let him?" Letty scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Nah," Sydney shook her head. "I know a player when I see one. I made him work for it."

"But she married me," Leon was sure to add.

"About three years later." She smirked. "Took months for him to get a date though."

"We were kind of shocked to hear that he'd gotten married. Would have pegged him a bachelor for life," Dom said, shaking his head at his friend.

"Just needed to find the right woman," Leon said, slipping his arm around her waist.

"You must be crazy to have said 'Yes' to this idiot, Syd," Letty said with a laugh.

Over Leon's protests Sydney laughed too and nodded. "I can be. Not the adrenaline junkie like this guy." She kissed his cheek, and then turned back to the others. "Hey look, I'm gonna be here the rest of the day but you guys should head to the house, get settled in."

"Oh you can just point us to a hotel, don't want to impose…" Dom muttered and she waved a hand, rolling her eyes.

"We have plenty of room. If you guys decide to stay for a while we can hook you up with a place. Between the house and the clinic and the garage… well the real estate agents here kind of love us."

She disappeared into a hallway then came back, handing Letty a key. "This'll get you in and you have the address, right?"

She nodded, tucking the key into the pocket of her shorts. "Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem," Leon said. "We'll see you around 5. Hey we can have a barbeque. It'll be like old times." He laughed.

0000

It was after two in the morning when Leon slid out of bed with the urge to piss. Syd stirred slightly, sighing as she rolled onto her stomach and pressed her face into her pillow. The sheets caught around her waist and he admired the smooth skin of her back before tugging on his boxers and shuffling out into the hallway towards the bathroom. Groggy, he didn't bother to shut the door before going about his business and it was a minute before he noticed the faint glow of light coming from downstairs.

Idly he flushed and fixed his boxers before starting down the stairs. He paused at the doorway and looked in, spotting Letty sitting at the table alone. A half-filled glass of water sat before her and she was fairly drowning in what must have been one of Dom's t-shirts. She tilted her head, waves of black hair falling around her face as she looked at him.

Leon offered her a smile and crosses towards the fridge. "Couldn't sleep?"

She shrugged, raising the glass of water to her lips to take a small sip. "Not really."

"Wanna talk about it?" He pulled a carton of OJ out of the fridge and crossed to the cupboard for a glass.

She was silent for a long moment and he figured she wasn't going to talk. From what he remembered about the girl she was never one to. Always dealt with her problems on her own.

Then she spoke, her hands making patterns in the condensation of her glass. "Before we came here… things were getting hot ya know? Cops are still after Dom and… I woke up one night, he was leaving." She paused, not lifting her head to look up at him. Her tongue wet her lips briefly and she sighed. "Leo, if I hadn't woken up Dom would have been gone without so much as a goodbye."

"So you're freaked out that maybe the next time you'll wake up and he will be gone?" He lowered himself to the seat across from her and she nodded slowly.

"He doesn't want me to be around when he gets caught," she said.

"Of course not," Leon said. "He loves you, Let. But he ain't gonna get caught. What exactly were you guys doing anyway?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "You don't wanna know, Leo. Its better you don't."

"Shit, girl." He laughed. "You think you can go straight now?"

"Depends. How boring is life here in good ol' Rio?" She smirked at him and he smiled back, glad she seemed in better spirits now.

"Life's one big party out here. You'll see. Tomorrow we'll all go into town. I got some things to show you!" He grinned at her, downing his glass of juice in a long gulp. "Better get some rest then."

She stood, putting her own empty glass in the sink. "Thanks. G'night."


	3. Moments of Transition

Author's Note: Okay so I'm actually posting this pretty soon! I've been writing very fast. No idea how long that will keep up though. This is a somewhat fun, filler type chapter. Nothing too heavy. Enjoy!

_Chapter 2: Moments of Transition_

_When the morning comes and the nighttime goes away (all day)  
Don't you ever think that we won't be okay (no way)  
There is nothing stopping me from loving you_

"_I Can't Wait" - Akon_

Letty was bent under the hood of a car, fingers coated in grease as the sounds of the garage and the smell of oil and exhaust hung in the air around her. Leon was going over some paperwork with one of the mechanics and Syd sat on the floor checking a shipment against a manifest list. She absorbed the normalcy and familiarity of the moment; Dom lugging parts from the storage room in the back as Leon yelled something across the room about lunch.

When the musical tones of a cell phone filtered through past the noise of cars and chatter she turned her head. Syd shifted to her knees, fishing her phone out of her pocket and flipping it open.

"Hello?" she answered, then paused for a moment before rattling off in a flurry of Portuguese spoken too quickly for Letty to pick up on anything more than a couple of words snatched here and there. In a flash she was snapping the phone shut, curses muttered between her lips as she pushed herself to her feet.

"What's wrong babe?" Leon, who had been watching, asked as he turned back to his work.

"My shipment got jacked, again," she growled, tossing the phone onto a table irritably.

"Jacked?" Letty asked, standing up to wipe her hands on a rag.

"Yeah, hijacked, stolen." Syd rubbed a hand over her face. "Medical supplies for the clinic. Everything from drugs to needles. I'm sure you can imagine that it sells well on the street."

The others exchanged glances, silent. Perhaps they were thinking about their own criminal pasts.

Annoyed, the young woman paced the floor of the garage, flip-flops scuffing over the oil-stained cement. She put her hands on her hips and fixed her mouth into a grim smile. "Well, they're not getting my stuff again."

"What exactly do you plan to do?" Leon asked mildly amused.

"Well the trucks all come out of a medical supply place in Sao Paulo so I think the first step is to go there."

"And do what?" He raised a brow, clearly thinking she was nuts.

"If the trucks are getting taken from there then we'll know. The cops certainly won't be of any help, since they haven't done shit so far. So we'll just drive the trucks back here ourselves."

Leon stared at her. "What? We? No way, you're not doing that."

She huffed at him, hands on her hips. "It's _my_ supplies so I damn well am. Besides, who else is going to do it then?"

He shook his head and crossed towards her, grabbing her arm to steer her into the back room. Letty watched the door shut behind them and tucked her tongue into her cheek as she heard the faint sounds of them arguing through it. She exchanged a glance with Dom who shrugged and turned back to the car he was replacing the bumper on. After another five minutes the garage fell into an uneasy silence before the back door snicked open and Syd stalked out, followed by a sheepish looking Leon. She walked past them and out of the garage without a word and Letty raised a questioning brow at Leon.

"We're gonna go to Sao Paulo..." he muttered, looking less than pleased.

There was a long pause and then Dom's gravelly voice drifted up from where he was kneeling in front of a car. "We'll go with you."

"Naw, Man you don't have to do that." Leon shuffled over towards the box of inventory parts.

"No big deal. You did crazier shit for me once."

"Not like I wasn't getting a cut," he said and they laughed.

0000

On the shore of Rio de Janeiro the party was in full swing. Tourists and locals crowded bars and open-air nightclubs. Liquor flowed and music thrummed heavily over stucco walls. Bronzed women clad in short skirts and stiletto heels grinded their bodies on the dance floor while young men plied them with drinks and bad pick-up lines.

Leon passed by the tourist spots with garish décor and neon lights and made his way further down the beach where the dance music faded away to be replaced by the sounds of a live band- some sort of half-rock, half-rap style music in slang-laced Portuguese. He ducked through the open door into a room crowded with tables and heavy with the smoke of hand-rolled cigarettes.

The owner of the place, a stocky brown-faced man dragging a rag over the scarred surface of the bar, looked up, shouting a greeting across the crowded room.

"Here you are! And you have brought some friends?" He rounded the bar, a smile spreading wide over his face.

Leon clapped his hand on the man's shoulder with a laugh. "Didn't know you'd miss me, Alberto. Yeah, you remember the little wife," he said, sliding his arm around Syd's waist to draw her against him. "And these are my friends Dom and Letty."

"Ah, just want I need, more Americans in my bar," he groused, but turned to shake their hands, a broad and welcoming smile on his face. "Please sit, have a drink."

The men followed him to the bar while Syd searched for a table. Letty followed and they maneuvered an extra chair into place before sitting.

"This place is popular with locals," Syd said, leaning across the table to talk over the band. "We like it better than the tourist spots. Those get especially bad when the cruise ships roll in."

Letty shook her head with a laugh, only imagining the middle aged couples on their second honeymoons or the bleached blonde sorority girls gone wild on Spring Break.

The bar-tender was regaling Dom and Leon with tales of his glory days and taking sweet time making the drinks. Letty rolled her eyes then turned at the sound of Sydney supressing a laugh.

"Looks like you've got some attention," she said nudging Letty who turned to look in the direction she was pointing.

A group of men, local boys with dark tans and baggy jeans, was eyeing her from across the room. One grinned at her when she looked over and pursed his lips in a kiss. Syd laughed and Letty made a face before frowning over at her.

"I'm glad you think this is so funny," she muttered.

"Oh come on it is. Besides once the boys get over here they'll be too chicken to even consider coming over. Dom's scary."

Letty laughed, shaking her head. "Whatever you say, girl."

0000

It was after four am when they arrived at the house, Syd stuck as the designated driver and the rest of them at varying degrees of smashed. She pulled into the driveway and went around to help Leon stumble out of the passenger side. Supporting him she managed to make it to the front door and fished in her pocket for the key. Behind her she heard the scuff of boots as Dom and Letty approached, not nearly as shit-faced as her husband. That's what they got for letting Alberto talk them into trying his new drink creation.

Once the door was opened the AC washed over them as they stepped inside.

"Where's the coffee?" Letty muttered, kicking off her sandals as she made her way towards the kitchen.

"Bottom cupboard on the left near the fridge," Syd replied as she half-dragged Leon up the stairs.

He leaned against her and she wrinkled her nose against the smell of booze, shoving him into their bedroom.

"Clothes off," she ordered and he grinned at her from where he was sprawled on the bed.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' bout!" he slurred and she rolled her eyes.

"In this state I highly doubt your ability to get it up. You need a shower, so get to it."

He sat up, tugging his t-shirt up over his head and Syd left him there, knowing it would take a while. She went downstairs to check on their guests, peering into the kitchen. Letty was leaning against the counter near the coffee machine and Dom sat slumped in a chair at the table.

"You two okay?"

Letty gave her a thumbs-up and Dom rubbed his hand over his head.

"Remind me never to drink one of that man's concoctions again," he rumbled.

She laughed. "I warned you."

Leaving them there she went to check the locks on the front door before going back upstairs. Leon greeted her, sitting at the foot of the bed naked except for his socks.

He grinned. "Hey baby!"

Dragging a hand over her face she groaned and wondered how life could get more exciting.


	4. In Your Arms

Author's Note: Okay well, hope all you Dotty fans are happy with this chapter. It took me forever to write the sex scene. If you don't like that (for some crazy reason) it's unnecessary to the plot and you can just skip the last part of this chapter. Everyone else, I hope this tides you over till finals are done! Thanks for reading!

_Chapter 3: In Your Arms _

_Come my lady_

_You're my pretty baby_

_I'll make your legs shake_

_You'll make me go crazy_

"_Butterfly" – Crazy Town_

Letty and Dom took to pulling full shifts at the garage most days so that Leon could help his wife at the clinic. Her goal was to open the doors in a month and there was still a lot to be done.

Of course they didn't mind the work. They'd both been raised around engines, plus they were getting paid. Not that they didn't have enough left from the last job in DR but that money was being saved for when they decided to settle into their own place again.

Letty took a break; stepping away from the car she was working on to arch her back in a stretch. She grimaced at the faint popping noise and looking towards the clock. Lunch time.

"I'm hungry," she mused and Dom glanced up from his own work.

"A break doesn't sound like a bad idea," he agreed.

After letting the other mechanic, a local named Nuno, know that they were taking their lunch break they walked up the block together towards a small eatery.

Dom glanced down at Letty walking as his side. Her white tank and grey work pants were streaked with grease and her hair was gathered into a messy ponytail atop her head. Strands had slipped free and were plastered against the back of her neck from sweat. It was a familiar sight. He couldn't count the number of times he'd seen her like that in his life. But it seemed that every time she looked more beautiful. Maybe he hadn't been able to full appreciate it before. He hadn't always appreciated her. It had taken a bit of growing up and some serious self-reflection for him to come to that realization.

He blinked when he realized that she was smiling up at him questioningly.

"Dom, you've been staring at me for the last five minutes. Do I have something on my face?"

She reached up, wiping at her cheeks with remarkably small hands. She never seemed like it or acted like it but she was a small and delicate looking woman. It was with ease that he could lift her into his arms.

"There's nothing on your face," he answered, reaching out to still her hand and take it in one of his much larger ones.

She smiled and gave his hand a squeeze. "Thinking about something?"

"Remember the first time we met?" he asked.

She laughed and made a face. "You're thinking about that? Yeah, I remember. I was only a little kid."

"Mia watched the moving trucks all day. She was so excited that there was gonna be another girl on the block."

Letty snorted. "Little did she know…"

"You guys became best friends anyway."

"I spent more time bothering you and V than playing with Mia," she admitted, then sighed. "I miss her. V too. I wonder what happened to him."

They both fell silent, thinking how likely it was that their old friend had wound up in prison.

As they approached the little restaurant Letty was shaken from her thoughts by the scents of food. She stopped, tugging at Dom's arm until he came to a halt beside her.

"Dom, there's something I want you to know." She looked up at him, one small hand cupping his cheek until he met her gaze. "I don't regret anything, not even the mistakes. Because of them and everything I'm where I always wanted to be, at your side. Don't ever doubt that."

Emotion rolled through him. He felt relieved and undeserving at the same time. His arms banded tight around her, drawing her closer and she tilted her head so that their lips met.

He knew he'd never be able to walk away from her again.

0000

It was the following week before the missing medical supply trucks came up again. The sun was setting on the house in Cordoso Moreira as Sydney puttered around the kitchen, placing a basket full of fresh vegetables on the counter next to a cutting board. Potatoes were boiling in a pot on the stove and Leon was mixing up his famous barbeque sauce for the pork ribs that were laid out by the sink.

Letty and Dom had been sent outside to start up the grill, but they'd been out there way longer than necessary and the other couple was glad to leave them to whatever it was that had distracted them.

"My new shipment is scheduled to go out Wednesday morning," she spoke as she chopped the vegetables with careful precision.

Leon looked up from his bowl, a frown flickering over his face. "And you're still planning on going out there and picking up the trucks yourself?"

She sighed, knowing he was unhappy with her over this. "First I just want to make sure that the trucks are making it out of the warehouse. After that... we'll see where we go."

That eased him somewhat but he was still scowling when Letty wandered in through the back door.

"What's that look for?" she asked, sidling up alongside him at the counter.

He glanced down at her in mild annoyance. "Mind your own damn business, Chica. Go bother Dom."

"I already did. He sent me inside. So now I'm bothering you." She smirked, arms crossing over her chest and he had to laugh, shaking his head.

"Syd's supplies are taking off Wednesday. She wants to go to the warehouse and check out the trucks."

"This is news? She told you that she was gonna do that like a week ago." She scoffed.

"I know but I kind of hoped I could talk her outta it."

Across the room Syd laughed and rolled her eyes. "Sorry, it doesn't work that way. Now a woman can talk a man out of doing crazy shit, especially if she employs sex."

Both women laughed as the back door swung open and Dom stepped inside. "What's the big joke?"

Leon made a face. "Bro, I'm glad you're here. These women are driving me crazy."

"That's what they're good at," the other man answered, amusement lacing his voice as he went to the fridge for a beer.

"Leo here is all surprised that his girl still wants to check on her trucks," Letty put in, earning another glare from the man in question.

"Hmm," Dom rumbled, popping the top off the beer with his thumb and taking a long, cooling drink. "I told you we'd go with."

"Thanks man. I'll have Nuno handle things at the garage for a day. But for now… that grill better be ready."

0000

The sun had long since set by the time Letty was stripping out of her clothes and rooting around in the dresser for something to sleep in. She could hear Dom brushing his teeth in the adjoining bathroom; he'd left the door open.

She wiggled into a pair of old Belmont High shorts, dark green cotton with the initials BHS on the left hip and a ribbed grey tank top. She tugged her hair loose of its ponytail, slipping the rubber band around her wrist. She watched Dom come out of the bathroom, jeans slung low on his hips, unbuttoned. He smelled minty like toothpaste when he pressed a kiss against her mouth. She smiled and moved past him to brush her own teeth.

When she came back into the room five minutes later, his t-shirt dangling from her fingertips, he was standing with his back to her at the wide window. From where the house sat up in the hills they could look out past the mountains to view the lit up city of Rio de Janeiro stretched out below. Letty tossed the shirt across a chair with the other dirty clothes and smiled.

She moved to stand beside him and felt Dom's hand come up to tangle in her hair, knuckles brushing against the back of her neck. She leaned into his side and felt him press a kiss against the top of her head. She slid her arm around his waist, fingertips brushing against his hipbone.

He moved in front of her, his large frame blocking the view. Her arms slipped around his waist and she tilted her head back to look up at him. His hand cupped her jaw, and Letty leaned into the touch, relishing in the feel of his callused palm against her skin. He swept his hands through her hair, pulling it away from her neck and tilting her head back as he leaned in to capture her lips in a kiss. She parted her lips, releasing a sigh into his mouth as their tongues touched and her hands pressed flat against his chest before sliding down to rest at the waistband of his jeans.

When her hand moved lower, cupping against him through the denim, Dom's groan rumbled through his chest until her lips curled into a wicked grin. He scooped her up by the hips, foiling her teasing fingers as he laid her on the bed and then pinned her beneath his heavier form. Letty squirmed beneath him, one leg hooking around his hips so that she could grind her body up against his until they were both panting.

He growled against her lips, one large hand grasping at her hips and stilling them. Dom pulled back to look down at her and she smiled, cheeks flushed and lips swollen.

"What? You don't like that?"

"You drive me crazy," was his mumbled reply as he pressed his face against the curve of her neck, then knelt above her to tug off her tank top.

Her fingers curled into the waistline of his jeans and pushed them down over his hips. She could feel the cotton of his boxers underneath and smiled. "Dom, you're wearing too many clothes."

His response was a chuckle as he scooted away from her to get rid of the pants and boxers. He returned to her, fingering the worn cotton of her shorts. "I can't believe you still have these."

"I can't believe I still have them _on._" Letty smirked and he tugged them off. "That's better."

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, capturing his lower lip between her teeth. Her hand slid between them to press against his chest lightly, sliding down so that she could feel the hard ridges of his abs and his skin shuddered under her touch. She smiled and closed her eyes on a breathy moan as his lips traveled over the line of her neck. Dom's hands smoothed up the sides of her thighs, spreading her legs wider as he buried his face between her breasts. He knew her body so intimately; every curve, every hollow, every scar. Her hands slid around his waist and drifted up his back, rubbing over the stubble on his scalp as he teased his tongue over her breast.

Her thighs locked around his waist, urging him closer until she could feel him pressed against her. They both moaned as he slid into her slowly and Letty closed her eyes, relishing the feel of him inside her. Dom buried his face into the sensitive skin behind her ear and she could hear the uneven sound of his breathing. Her own moans of pleasure increased as the tempo and pace of their motions increased and she dug the short tips of her nails into his back, her heel pressing into his lower back. He followed her over the edge and she vaguely felt his hand press over her mouth through the sensory overload.

When her vision cleared she blinked up at the ceiling, feeling Dom's weight atop her and his heartbeat thundering between them. She closed her eyes and let a smile drift over her lips, stroking a hand down his back. It wasn't long until he moved though, pushing himself onto his arms to take his weight off her and she sighed at the loss of contact but also at the ability to breathe more easily.

He lay beside her, sliding one arm around her to tuck her against his side and she pillowed her head against his chest. Sleep was settling like a fog over her when she vaguely heard his voice.

"I love you, baby."


	5. Trouble We Didn't Go Looking For

Author's Notes: So, finals are finally past me… and I've got some more to post here. This is the first chapter that's sort of leading to the real story bit… less romantic fluff, more drug-dealing assholes. Er… right. Well enjoy!

_Chapter 4: Trouble We Didn't Go Looking For_

_Lost in the darkness, hoping for a sign  
Instead there is only silence_

"_Somewhere" – Within Temptation_

It was nearing midnight on Tuesday when they got ready to leave for the drive to Sao Paulo. By car the trip would take around six hours, discounting traffic, though probably faster with the way they drove. Still, the shipment was scheduled to leave the warehouse at around 8am and with as long as the trip was they didn't want to miss it and have gone all that way for nothing.

After some debate it was decided that they would take two cars, the girls in one and the boys in the other as only Leon and Syd knew where they were going. Snacks and thermoses of coffee were stashed in each vehicle by the light of the full moon, the city down below illuminated by it's own light.

Leon filled the dog's water and food bowls and double checked the locks on the house while Dom and Letty sat on the front stoop talking in hushed voices. Being as it was the middle of the night most of the neighbors in the sleepy suburb were tucked quietly into their beds. Letty stood, arching her body in a stretch so that her red tank rode up to expose the bronze planes of her belly. Dom watched with a lazy gaze, eyes lingering on the dip of her belly button and the silvery glint of the fastening of her jeans.

Leon stepped outside, hand landing briefly on his shoulder. "Come on, Man, let's go." He crossed the lawn towards the car in the driveway and went around to the passenger side.

Dom stood slowly, leaning down to kiss Letty briefly before pulling back. "See you in Sao Paulo, baby."

She smiled and replied with a "You bet," before looking over to Syd who called her name.

The other girl tossed something in her direction and she saw the glint of metal in the moonlight before she reached out a hand to snag the set of car keys out of the air.

"You mind driving?" she asked as Letty looking at her questioningly.

"How fast does this thing go?" she queried with a grin, rounding towards the driver's side.

"To be honest," Syd said as she opened the passenger door, "I don't really know. I don't trust myself to handle a car going over a hundred."

Letty laughed. "Well girl, you're about to find out. Get in."

She slid into the driver's seat and buckled up as Syd rolled down her window and stuck her head out. "Hey boys!" she called. "We'll race you down the mountain!" She let out a laugh as Letty peeled away from the curb, leaving the men staring after them for a second before she heard the sound of their engine gunning.

0000

Hours later the coffee was cold and stale tasting and both women were experiencing the gritty-eyed feeling that comes from staying up all night. The sky was hazy with the hint of approaching sunrise and the highway stretched out before them still nearly bare of traffic aside from a few other travelers and the occassional truck.

Syd surfed through her iPod's playlist with a wide and noisy yawn that earned her a look from her companion. She smiled sheepishly.

"I haven't pulled an all-nighter since med school."

"Not at all?" Letty laughed, tilting her head back so her bangs fell away from her eyes. "You're telling me Leo's never kept you up all night?"

The other girl grinned, stretching like a cat and shifting her car seat back to get more leg room. "Well we always got snatches of sleep in between rounds you know?"

Letty's response was a half-snort and an eye-roll. "That counts?"

"Okay, maybe not." Syd laughed

0000

The city had been in their sight for a while, clusters of skyscrapers jutting into the early morning sky, still lit up from the night. It was closer now and Syd sat up, plugging the warehouse address into her GPS. She tilted her head until her neck cracked loudly, then winced. The screen was showing their destination a little more than thirty miles away now and it would take perhaps twenty minutes to get there accounting for traffic lights.

"So what exactly do you plan to do if your shipment isn't at the warehouse when we get there?" Letty interrupted her thoughts with the question.

"Call my supplier and reem them a new asshole," she muttered, rifling in the cooler at her feet for a soda. The ice in it had long since melted and sloshed around noisily in the plastic container.

She popped the top and took a long gulp before letting out a sigh. "Truth is I've never dealt with this company before. Someone I worked with in Recife recommended them to me. He knows a guy who knows a guy..." She waved a hand.

"Sounds a little shady."

Syd wrinkled her nose. "Doctors who come down to poorer cities to treat people for no pay are not 'shady'..."

"Maybe not at first, but you never know girl. Besides maybe it's the friend of a friend..." Letty raised a brow in her direction.

"I don't know. It's just as likely that the stuff is just getting stolen."

The other woman nodded and pulled off the highway on the next exit. They were silent for a time as she guided the car down the city streets. They were still empty of traffic, though it wouldn't be long before the early morning commuters were up and crowding the roads, a typical weekday rush hour in Sao Paulo.

A series of stop lights and a detour past some road work took them to the warehouse section of town, where double-lane streets were lined with trucks and bay doors were already open for the morning shifts. A group of men in jeans and t-shirts were unloading crates from the back of one truck, while another worker was moving pallets with a forklift. They drove past and pulled into the wide lot of a sprawling brick building. It was quiet here, no workers yet. White trucks with the medical supply logo were lined up near the back of the warehouse, awaiting their drivers.

Letty turned the wheel and pulled up alongside the trucks, parking the car. The boys were already there, lounging along the driver's side of Dom's vehicle. Leon held a bag of chips and they were laughing about something.

"What took you so long?" Leon snickered when Syd slid out of the passenger seat.

She raised a brow at him and made a face. "Please, you couldn't have been waiting more than a couple of minutes."

He shrugged, offering her a chip from the bag, his fingertips shiny from grease and salt and she wrinkled her nose before dipping her hand into the foil package and grabbing one. She turned, scanning the line of trucks with narrowed eyes.

"I wonder..." she murmured softly, popping the chip into her mouth before wandering over towards the large vehicles.

"What's she doing?" Dom asked, pushing away from the car. Letty glanced up from where she was stretching her weary limbs. She shrugged and turned to follow the other woman.

Syd circled around to the truck's cab, reached out to try and the door. It clicked open. She frowned, muttered something about shitty security and climbed up into the leather seat. A clipboard was wedged between the seat and the center console and she picked it up, her eyes scanning. She turned her head to look at Letty who was standing outside the door looking at her in confusion.

"It's a list of the truck's cargo. This isn't one of mine..." She dropped the clipboard into the seat and clambered out again. "Check the other trucks."

Letty sighed, opening the door of one. "I can't read Portuguese..."

"Uh..." Syd hummed as she rounded towards the next truck. "Just look for the words estéril and médico, they should be in there a lot."

Grumbling she searched through several of the trucks before hearing a loud "Here!!" from across the lot. By then the guys had wandered over to see what they were up to and the three of them made their way towards the last two trucks parked closest to the bay doors. Syd stood at the back of one, tugging at the latch.

"These two here are the trucks with my supplies." She tugged again and scowled. "It's locked."

"No shit," Leon scoffed. "They don't want someone stealing the supplies."

He pushed her aside gently and examined the lock. "Is there a release in the cab?" he asked and Letty moved around to the front of the truck, hunting for a button.

She located a lever near the seat and pulled it. With a loud clank the door was released and Leon shoved it open. Syd climbed up into the truck.

"Check the other one." She pointed to the vehicle parked next to the one she was in.

Leon motioned for Dom to follow him as Letty came to join Syd at the rear of the opened truck. She was struggling to pull tape off one of the sealed boxes.

"What are you doing?" Letty grumbled, climbing up into the truck. She watched Syd struggle with the tape a moment before fishing a pocketknife out of her jeans. "Here."

Syd took the offered tool and cut away the tape. She tugged the box opened and stared down at it, shock flickering over her face.

"What?" Letty asked, looking down into the box. Inside were stacks of what looked like white bricks wrapped in plastic. "I'm gonna take a guess that these aren't your medical supplies…"

"No," Syd said, shaking her head. "This looks like cocaine."

"Shit, girl. We might be in a lot more trouble than we thought."

0000

At the other truck Dom hopped out of the cab to find himself face to face with a man holding a gun. He looked uneasy and clicked the safety off, pointing the weapon at Dom.

"Quem são você?"

Dom raised his hands slowly, staring evenly at the man as Leon crept up behind him. "I don't want any trouble," he replied.

"É tarde demais para isto," the man fairly snarled, waving the gun. "Quem são vo-?"

The rest of his question was cut off as Leon knocked him over the head with the butt of his own weapon. Dom caught the guy before he crumpled to the ground.

"Leon, the girls."

0000

Syd and Letty stumbled on their feet as the truck jerked into motion.

"What the fuck?" Letty asked, flattening her hands against the inside of the truck to keep her balance.

"We better get off before this gets up to speed!" Syd shouted over the grinding of the engine.

They scrambled towards the back of the truck, sneakered feet trying to gain purchase on the slippery metal flooring. The truck hit a bump and jerked, knocking them into one another and the boxes. Letty got onto her hands and knees, pushing herself up. The back door was bobbing up and down dangerously with the vehicle's movements.

"Dom!" she shouted just as it slid all the way down and slammed shut, enveloping them in darkness.

0000

The two men raced around the back of the truck at the sound of an engine kicking in. The other truck backed out and they caught a glimpse of a dark-haired man before the truck jerked around, clanked loudly over a pothole.

Dom vaguely heard someone yelling his name before the back of the truck slammed shut and it sped out of the lot.

"Shit!" Leon cursed. "We have to go after it!"

Dom shook his head. "Believe me Lee, I want to but we have no idea what we'd be walking into. Let's wake up our guy here and get some info out of him. You check the truck."

He wasn't used to being the level-headed one, but he'd be no use to Letty if he got himself killed rushing after her with no clue and no plan. He had to trust that she'd keep them safe in the meantime.

Leon clambered up into the back of the truck as Dom went around front to collect their hostage. He hefted him over his shoulder as Leon called out to him.

"What?" he asked, rounding the vehicle with his captive.

"These boxes are all full of drugs. And not the medical kind. I think it might be coke or somethin'."

"Fuck," Dom muttered, dragging his free hand over his face. What had they gotten themselves into now?

_Note: I do not speak Portuguese, all of what I put here is from online translation._

_Quem são você - Who are you_

_É tarde demais para isto - It's too late for that_


	6. An Old Face in the Game

Author's Note: Well I wasn't intending to take so long to update, but I ended up having to serve on jury duty the week after finals were over. Go figure. So now that I've participated in our lovely justice system, here's a short chapter for you guys! Hope you enjoy!

_Chapter 5: An Old Face in the Game_

_I'd kill for an adventure  
Just you and I in the Curzon Bar  
Dancing till we knew  
So all that we've learnt disappeared_

"_Flux" – Bloc Party_

After some time speeding down the paved streets of Sao Paulo the truck had taken a sharp turn onto what felt like a road riddled with potholes or perhaps made of gravel. Stones crunched loudly under the wheels and it shuddered and jerked often, leaving the passengers in the back wincing from where they sat on the hard metal.

They'd arranged the boxes so that they had something to lean against and sit a little more comfortably, without the threat of one of the containers falling down on them. It was hot and stuffy in the truck and both women were coated in a fine sheen of sweat. Syd reached up to push strands of hair from her forehead, sighing softly.

"Where do you think they're taking us?" Letty asked, breaking the long silence that had fallen.

"To their drug dealing headquarters," the other girl muttered, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. Her sight had adjusted to the darkness of the truck and she could easily make out shapes now.

"Well they're definitely going to have an unexpected surprise in this shipment."

"I really wish I hadn't left my purse and my cell phone in the car," Syd complained.

"Yeah, that definitely would have been handy to have," was the dry response.

They fell silent again, and the sounds of the truck rattling and rocks being kicked up underneath were the only things they heard.

"Do you think the boys are coming after us?" Sydney broke the silence again, moving her fingertips in circles over the metal floor.

"I think they're looking for a way to get us back. But I hope they didn't come driving after us like a pair of maniacs. Right into the drug lord headquarters?" Letty laughed, rubbing a hand over her face. "Fuck, I can actually see them doing something that stupid. Then we'll all be in trouble."

"Well I haven't heard a car following us or anything. Maybe we should assume they didn't do something stupid. For now, we should just worry about keeping ourselves alive. We have no idea what we're going into."

0000

"Start talking," Dom growled, grabbing the man by the collar of his faded t-shirt.

Leon had found the truck's ignition key and a large roll of bills in his pant's pocket. It was still a good hour before the warehouse opened but they didn't plan to stick around for that. Dom glared and hauled the man to his feet when he trembled instead of speaking.

"Look, if you don't start saying something I want to hear its only going to end up painfully for you."

The man shook his head, looking at him helplessly. "Eu não falo o inglês"

"Shit, Leon, get over here and find out what this guy knows."

Leon came over, knelt down next to the guy and started talking in badly-accented Portuguese. Dom pushed away from the side of the truck, running a hand over his face as he listened to the sounds of their voices behind him.

After several minutes Leon approached, keeping one wary eye on their hostage.

"Says he and another guy are drivers. They leave their car at the hotel in the city and walk here to pick up the trucks. Drive them out to… I was fuzzy here… a fancy house up north to make delivery. Get the rest of their pay there."

"Did you ask him about the security?"

"Yeah. Said there's guys with guns all over, Dawg. We'd be dead in a minute if we just showed up."

"Well it's a good thing we got something they want."

"What? The driver?" Leon looked doubtful.

"No. The other truck. They only got half their shipment. Let's see if we can get a contact number out of our friend there. Talk to the guy in charge."

0000

It wasn't like he had many visitors, so Vince was surprised when one morning the guards came to collect him from his cell. Wrists cuffed, he'd been led down the bar-lined hallways towards one of those rooms. You know the kind you always see in movies or on TV where the criminal is allowed to meet with his lawyer. Only this time when the door opened it wasn't state-appointed defense lawyer Abraham Santos on the other side. This time when Vince looked up he looked into blue eyes, familiar eyes that bore expressions of guilt and wariness. Brian O'Connor, Cop. Oh, on second thought, his eyes flickered to the glossy ID pinned to his suit jacket, Brian O'Connor, FBI Agent.

He watched as the man sat down across from him and they stared silently at one another for a long time.

Finally Brian spoke. "Vince, I have a proposal for you."

Vince said nothing, waiting for him to say more. Honestly he was tempted to tell him to fuck off, but he wanted to hear what he had to say.

"Have you heard the name Braga?"

Vince nodded. More than half the bastards were in this joint because of drugs and Braga was the biggest supplier between Mexico and the US, in particular California.

"He's recruiting drivers from the street races. Have you heard that?" Without waiting for a response Brian went on. "The FBI is set on bringing them down. But we need drivers to do it."

Vince raised a brow, leaning back in the ugly plastic chair. "Why don't you do it? I seem to recall you can race, or at least you think you can race."

Brian, apparently having matured in the last five years, didn't rise to the bait. "We tried sending a man in alone. He ended up dead. So we thought two might be better."

"And you want to work with me?"

"I thought this way it could benefit us both. You agree to help me and the remainder of your sentence in considered served. You can go home today."

Vince was silent for a long moment. He knew that this was a good deal for him. Because he'd taken the full blame for the truck-jackings rather than give up his friends he'd been sentenced to life in prison. Sure they hadn't killed anyone and they hadn't even used weapons when taking the trucks, but the shipments they'd taken had been worth so much that he'd been convicted of a felony in the LA courts. He considered, rubbing his hand over the scars that wound around his forearm.

"You're serious? Just for doing this?"

Brian smiled slightly. "I'm not going to lie to you Vince. This is a dangerous position you'll be getting yourself into. We could both end up dead."

"Yeah well," he sniffed slightly, shifting in his seat. "Dead or here. I don't know what's worse."

The two men sat in silence, regarding one another. There was certainly little trust between them, but despite the fact that Brian had been lying to all of them all those years ago, he had saved Vince's life.

"Okay, I'll do it."

0000

_All Portuguese was translated online_

_Eu não falo o inglês - I don't speak English_


	7. Welcome Home

Author's Note: Mia makes her first appearance here! I hope you guys all enjoy and thanks so much for all the lovely comments! Enjoy

_Chapter 6: Welcome Home_

_All my life I've been over the top_

_I don't know what I'm doing_

_All I know is I don't wanna stop_

_All fired up, I'm gonna go till I drop_

"_I Don't Wanna Stop" – Ozzy Osbourne_

Hours later Dom and Leon had moved the truck to an abandoned factory and emptied its contents. Leaving their captive bound in the Audi, Leon had driven back to the warehouse to pick up Dom's car and they brought the two vehicles to a nearby hotel.

Now the three men were in the hotel room, which smelt vaguely of stale cigarettes and bleach. Their captive driver sat with his arms tied together in front of him. He looked tired and a little frightened. He had no idea what would happen to him when his failure was discovered.

"Okay," Leon said, flipping open the battered black cell phone. "From what our friend here has told us the person in charge of the runs here is a woman... named Gisele." He scrolled through the list of phone numbers. "But I get the feeling she's not really the head honcho, so I think she'll be looking to get those drugs back, or it will be her ass on the line."

"So we call her, and arrange a trade," Dom said.

Leon nodded and dialed the number.

0000

Exhaustion hung over them like a palpable force, like a dry taste in the back of their throats as the two women sat half-sprawled in the back of the truck. They'd been driving for hours now, and had been up longer than 24 hours. The air in the truck was stuffy and warm and they were silent in their lethargy.

"Apparently secret drug lord hideouts are out in the sticks," Syd complained, rolling her head so that her neck cracked the stiffness away. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, turning towards her companion. She was feeling restless and achy and idle worries danced at the back of her mind. Clearing her throat she bent her knees and tilted her head back. "So how long have you and Dom been together?"

Letty opened one eye, startled out of her half-asleep state by the question. She raked a hand through her hair, tugging it loose from its ponytail and yawned. "Long time. Well, officially... ten years or so."

"So like, before you were legal?" Syd laughed.

"Yup."

"My Dad would have flipped if I'd dated an older guy."

"Mine was already dead at that point," Letty said, turning her head away and closing her eyes again.

They were silent for a long time, both contemplating their own pasts, their own pains. "My Dad died the year after I went to college," Syd said, suddenly breaking the silence. "I wasn't there."

There was guilt and regret in her voice, and love as well. Letty glanced over at her, unsure of what to say. She wasn't really one to open up about anything, and the rare occasions she had it had only been with Dom.

"He was a military man," Syd continued. "Really devoted to his country and to his family. My mom had died when I was a kid so it was just me and him." Letty could hear the smile in her voice, even if she couldn't see it in the darkened truck.

"My Dad was in the army too," she answered after a moment, rubbing her fingertips idly over the denim of her jeans. "Messed him up though… in the head." She sighed then, biting down on her lower lip as if she'd said something she hadn't really meant to. "Shit, girl, this truck's been driving forever. Where the hell are they taking us?"

"No idea, but we're well beyond Sao Paulo by now." Syd replied. "I just hope the boys can find us."

"They will." Letty allowed herself a small smile. "Those boys are nothing if not stubborn."

0000

Mia pulled into the driveway and threw the car into park before climbing out. Grabbing her purse she yawned and trudged up the porch steps to unlock the front door. There was mail stuffed in the box and she fished it out with one hand while the other searched the depths of her purse for the house keys. She slid them into the lock and turned. The door swung open with a faint squeak and she stepped inside, moving past the stairs to drop the purse and the keys on a table.

Sorting the mail she made her way towards the kitchen. Nothing but bills and junk. With a sigh she dropped them on the counter and sighed. She felt weary after a long day at the hospital. She knew that she should go upstairs and change out of the pink scrubs but she lowered herself into a chair instead and buried her face in her hands. Some days she felt so lonely. Her family was gone.

Mia's head snapped up at the sound of a knock on the door. She wasn't really in the mood for company and considered ignoring it but the knock came again. She groaned and stood up, making her way through the house. She pulled the door open and stared, jaw dropping open in shock.

"Vince?"

He stood on the other side of the door and she hardly recognized him. That constant scruff was gone from his face and he bore a winding scar on his left arm. He still wore a pair of his old clothes, probably what he'd been wearing when the cops had come to transfer him from the hospital to the prison. That had been the last day she'd seen him.

"Vince, what are you doing here? How did you…?"

"They let me out." He finally spoke, his eyes never leaving her face. "I didn't know where else to go." His gaze drifted down and he smiled. "Finally became a doctor huh?"

She blinked, glancing down at her clothes. "Oh… yeah. I work in the Emergency Room. It's not really that glamorous." She stepped back then, holding the door wide. "Come in."

He stepped inside hesitantly, as if the house hadn't been like a second home for him for most of his life. "You're here alone?"

"Yeah." She nodded, easing the door shut. "It's just me now. Everyone else is… gone."

They were silent for a moment, thinking back to the days when things had been different. Mia looked at him. She wanted to ask him so many things. How had he gotten out so early? What had happened to him there? But she remained silent, watching him.

"Why don't you come into the kitchen? Want something to drink?" She turned to lead the way, needing a purpose, something to do.

He followed her back, watching the movements of her body in the simple cotton uniform. He remembered how she'd worn those low jeans and the tiny little tank tops all the time. Somehow these pink scrubs seemed sexier. Maybe because he'd seen nothing but other dudes for the past five years.

"You look good, Mi." He couldn't recall how many times he'd said that to her before. She'd usually ignored it.

This time she smiled. "I look like crap. I just got off a sixteen hour shift at the hospital."

"Nah, you always look good."

She went to the fridge and offered him a beer. He took the bottle, staring at the way the glass condensed in his hand. It had been so long since he'd even had a drink.

"I'll go make up the guest room for you," she said. "I'm sure you're tired."

He only nodded and continued staring at the beer as she left the room.

Mia started up the stairs, her thoughts drifting to the man sitting in her kitchen. He was so different. He seemed almost lost, and she remembered those terrible months after Dom had come home from Lompoc. Of course they'd had the others then: Jesse and Leon, Letty and Vince.

Now Vince had only her. But she wasn't going to let him down.


	8. Meet Miss Brazil

Author's Notes: I know I'm slowing down on this a bit but I hope to pick up the pace now that summer break is in swing. There's a newer familiar face in this chapter. Hope you all enjoy!

_Chapter 7: Meet Miss Brazil_

_Hey woman, you got the blues, cause' you ain't got no one else to use.  
There's an open road that leads nowhere, so just make some miles between here and there._

"_Evil Woman" – Air Supply_

The trucks were running a little late but Gisele wasn't worried. Traffic or roadwork could hold them up and these drivers had proven dependable. She crossed towards the window in her room in the sprawling countryside villa. Pushing gauzy white curtains aside she gazed out, down the long drive to the huge wrought iron gate. She knew that only the guard stationed in the little shack there could open and close those gates. He was a man unendingly loyal to Braga, as were most of those assigned to protect her.

She sighed and dropped the curtain. Somewhere in the room she could hear her cell going off and she moved towards the sound. After some searching she found it nestled between the blankets on the bed. She flipped it open, her manicured nails clicking against the glowing screen.

"Oi?"

An unfamiliar voice came through. "We have one of your trucks."

Her throat went dry. Just one truck was millions of dollars worth of product. "Who is this?"

"Not important. I want to negotiate a deal."

Gisele went back to the window and looked out, watching a lone truck check in at the front gate. It was granted access and drove around back towards the garage. She swallowed. If she did not get that truck Braga would kill her.

"What do you want?"

"Your other truck, its holding a couple of hostages. I want to hear from both of them within one hour, and then we'll talk."

He hung up. Gisele stared at the phone and then let out a curse and flew down the stairs. If the guards found people in the shipment they would shoot first, ask questions later, and then they would never get the other truck.

0000

Jolted out of their semi-sleeping state by the truck coming to a stop and the silence of the engine turning off, both women slowly got to their feet. There was the faint sound of voices outside and Syd strained to hear, trying to make out what was being said.

There was an ominous clank as the latch disengaged and then, after a moment, sunlight burst into the truck, blinding them as the door was shoved open. There were shouts of confusion and when Letty opened her eyes again a dozen guns were pointed at them.

She raised her hands slowly, sparing a sidelong glance at her companion. "Syd, say something so they won't kill us."

"Espera! Parada! Não despeça!!!" The men all turned at the sounds of a woman's voice.

Out of breath, she skidded to a stop by the truck. "Não os mate," she repeated and then turned to look at Syd and Letty. She sighed, dragging a hand through her long black hair. "You two are causing me a lot of trouble, you know."

"It's not my fault you're transporting drugs in what are supposed to be trucks of medical supplies for my clinic," Syd said, irritation flickering over her face. "I paid for those supplies."

The woman laughed. "I don't know who you've been paying but that medical supply place is entirely a front. You've gone sticking your nose where it doesn't belong." She snapped out some orders and four of the men came to lead them off the truck. "For the time being, you're both my guests."

"Joy," Letty muttered under her breath as they were led away.

0000

It was a few days later when Brian pulled up in front of the familiar house. It had been here that he'd spent a glorious summer in the company of a group of people who'd left more of an impression on him than his own parents had. But he'd fucked that up.

Perhaps helping Vince was like his redemption.

He got out of his car and looked around. It still looked very much the same. Only difference was the lack of cars crowded along the front curb. There was music playing and Brian followed the sound of it towards the garage at the end of the drive. Its door was open and Vince's old Nissan sat in the driveway in front of it. Brian had gotten it out of the impound for him but the car would need a lot of work.

Just past the Nissan, Brian could make out the shadowy shape of the Charger in the garage. It was still wrecked and it was a real shame. Still, someone had hung onto it for some reason. He knew who that someone was. Mia. Even the thought of her brought tightness to his chest. He'd hurt her, lied to her and used her. He was responsible for destroying her family. Dom could likely never return home again. Brian had heard about him once or twice in his years with the FBI. There were suspicions that the man was behind several overseas crimes. Of course there was no proof, and that was all beyond FBI jurisdiction.

He looked up when Vince came out of the garage, a wrench in his hands.

"Doing some work on your car I see," he said conversationally as he approached.

Vince's hand tightened on the wrench and he bent over the open hood of the car. "Yeah, well I have to if I expect to win this race."

"You mean come in second," Brian replied, leaning against the trunk.

"We'll see, pretty boy. Why are you here? Checking up on me?"

"Yeah actually." He glanced at the house, wanting to ask about Mia, but he didn't.

Vince followed his gaze. "She's not here. And that ship has sailed. Just let it go. Leave her alone."

Brian frowned, but let the subject drop as he rounded the car to see what changes Vince had made. He gazed down, letting out a low whistle.

"Looks like you've replaced everything."

"Yeah, well it's been five years. A lot has changed." He glanced over at Brian. "Well, are you going to help or just stand there like an idiot?"

0000

_All Portuguese translations have been found online_

_Oi = Hello_

_Espera! Parada! Não despeça! = Wait! Stop! Don't fire!_

_Não os mate = Don't kill them_


	9. Held Hostage

Author's Notes: Hey guys. Another sort of filler chapter here. I promise we're getting to the action soon! Read and enjoy.

_Chapter 8: Held Hostage_

_All my heroes are dead and gone  
But down inside of me, they still live on_

"_Heroes" - Shinedown_

The building they were led to looked like an old shed or barn perhaps. The white paint on the outside was peeling and some of the boards looked rotted. It was a mess in comparison to the grand main house.

Guns prodding at their backs they were forced into the shadowy and musty building. The woman followed. She was tall, must have been at least six feet, and looked like she should be on a runway rather than in a dusty old building surrounded by gunmen and involved in transporting drugs.

She fished a cell phone out of the pocket of her ripped denim mini and dialed. After a moment she spoke. "I have them."

There was another pause. "Fine, but only for a second." She shoved the cell phone into Syd's hands. "He wants to hear from you."

"Hello?"

Leon's voice on the other end. "Hey baby are you okay?"

"We're fine, it was a long trip."

"We're going to get you out of there," he told her. But before she could reply the tall woman grabbed the phone from her and passed it to Letty.

"You too, and be quick. No tricks," she snapped. The men with guns were still there.

"Hello?" Letty sounded less than pleased.

"Let? Look, we're gonna make a trade so we'll get you out of there."

"I wouldn't bet on it," she replied before the phone was snatched from her.

The woman raised the phone to her ear. "You heard them. They're fine. I want my shipment." She listened for a moment as Leon undoubtedly made some sort of arrangement. "Fine, tomorrow morning at 10am. We will bring the hostages. But pull any tricks and they're dead." She snapped the phone shut then glanced down at the other women.

"Venha," she motioned for the men to follow her, leaving the hostages alone in the shed. "Vigie a porta. Ninguém entra ou fora a menos que eu isto ordene."

She walked out, the men following her, muttering under their breath to one another. Letty and Syd exchanged glances, sighed and sat down on the creaky wooden floor.

"You know... this is great," Letty said, tilting her head back to gaze up at the sunlight drifting through the rafters. "Somehow I was in less danger leaping from a moving car to an oil tanker."

"You're serious?" The other woman looked at her and Letty shrugged.

0000

Leon sighed, dropping the phone to the bedside table with a clatter.

"Well?" Dom asked from where he sat at the foot of the bed.

"They sounded fine. I didn't get to say much though." He sighed again, moving closer to him and lowering his voice so the hostage tied up on the other bed couldn't hear him. "I don't trust this woman though. I doubt that she's going to let them go as easy as this."

"Of course she's not. They know too much about this operation. Hell, so do we."

"Not like we're gonna call and report them to the cops," Leon scoffed.

"Yeah, but she doesn't know us for shit. We have to assume that when we try to make the trade she's gonna try and take us all out. We'll have to be prepared."

"Yeah Dawg, let's try and get some shut-eye for now. Otherwise we're gonna be too tired for much of anything."

Eyeing the hostage who was asleep tied to a chair across the room Dom settled back on one of the double beds, stretching over the faded comforter.

He was tired, but it was still some time before he fell to sleep.

0000

It was definitely nearing nightfall judging from the soft colored hues that Letty could glimpse through the slats of the shed. Beside her Sydney had fallen asleep, sitting rather awkwardly against the wall with her legs tucked underneath her. The air was cooling and that was certainly a welcome effect from the lack of sun.

Occasionally she could hear the sounds of the men outside walking past, chatting with one another in a language that she could barely understand. Right now two of them must have been standing directly on the other side of the wall because she could clearly hear their voices, the sounds of their boots scuffing at the ground as they shifted on their feet, and catch the scent of the cigar one of them was smoking.

She let out a long sigh and rubbed a hand over her face. Her body felt tired and she knew she ought to try and sleep. Still, she couldn't shut off her mind and every time she closed her eyes she kept wondering how they were going to get out of this place. The Villa was like a fortress. She'd caught a glimpse of high stone walls around the perimeter and a wrought-iron gate with a guard to check entry and departure of each vehicle. Also, the place was practically crawling with armed men. And these weren't the type of men who would warn you before they shot.

She knew that the boys had a plan which involved trading them for the other truck, but they were all well aware that this woman was not going to let them get away alive. Just by being here, and knowing that the medical supply place was a front, they knew more about their operation than they should. Letty only hoped that there was more to the plan than that, but she also planned to do anything she could to make things easier for Dom and Leon. She wasn't accustomed to just sitting back and letting others get her out of trouble.

She smiled slightly to herself. Dom had been helping her get into trouble for years now, but she could manage it well enough on her own if he didn't. That said, it wouldn't be a good idea to try anything while they were still on the Villa property. Maybe when they were being transported to the exchange site. She always did do better in a moving vehicle.

Letty turned her head when her companion stirred awake, groaning softly.

"Crap," Sydney muttered, rubbing at the back of her neck. "Now I feel tired _and_ stiff."

Letty didn't reply, just tilted her head back and let out a yawn, allowing her eyes to fall shut. The two men who had been on the other side of the wall were walking away now and she could hear their voices fading into the distance. Syd shuffled her feet around on the dirt floor and then stood slowly, her back cracking with a rather loud noise.

"That sounded way worse than it felt," she assured the other woman.

"When do you think they'll take us out of here to make the exchange?" Letty asked.

"Probably not till early morning. I'm sure the boys need time to make arrangements."

"Yeah right. They're probably just going to try and create a diversion by blowing something up."

"Blowing what up exactly?" Syd asked.

"Who knows. Maybe a car or something."

"Why would they do that? They like cars."

"They like _us_ more," Letty said with a laugh. "It's just the easiest thing to make blow up that they'd have access to."

Sydney fell silent, seeming to accept this, or perhaps she was just too tired to ask anymore questions.

After a while she spoke again. "What do you think of Miss Brazil?" Syd asked, mocking their "host".

"She's tall. Wonder how a woman like that ends up running drugs."

"There is undoubtedly a man involved."

"There always is."

"Speaking of men, how did you end up with Dom?" Syd asked, trying to ignore the mouse scurrying along the far wall.

"I lived down the street from him and his sister Mia since I was a kid. I was always hanging out at their place."

"Wow, so you've known each other forever."

Letty laughed. "I guess. But back then I was just his little sister's irritating friend."

"What changed that?"

"I got boobs."

"Men," Syd said, rolling her eyes. They laughed.

0000

_Venha = Come on_

_Vigie a porta. Ninguém entra ou fora a menos que eu isto ordene = Guard the door. No one comes in or goes out unless I order it._


	10. Plans Coming Together

Author's Notes: Okay so if there's any gripes, I know nitrous oxide is not flammable but they used it in both movies, so we're just sticking to the land of pretend here with that. I've got some more Vince action here and slowly moving along. Enjoy and thanks for the great reviews guys!

_Chapter 9: Plans Coming Together_

_Something I can do to change what's coming  
Stay close to me while the sky is falling  
Don't wanna be left alone, don't wanna be alone_

"_World on Fire" – Sarah McLachlan_

When Vince pulled into the parking garage where the race was supposed to begin he was feeling more than a little nervous. He was a good driver, of course, but he wasn't great. In all the stunts they'd pulled through the years Dom had always been the one behind the wheel. Of course that usually left Vince to do the more dangerous things but he'd always gotten somewhat of a thrill from it. They all had, he knew. And look where it had gotten them.

He knew Brian was around somewhere but he had no idea what kind of a car he was driving. He pulled into an empty space and took a moment to gather himself. As soon as he stepped out of the vehicle he was met by a huge black man with scars on his face. He smiled and it was not friendly, but Vince raised his chin and met his gaze. This, he knew, was likely to be one of Braga's guard dogs.

"Follow me," the man finally said and led him to the rear of the garage where a set of stairs took them up a level.

There, a group of men, including Brian, were standing semi-circle around a seated man. He looked Hispanic and Vince gathered that this was Campos, Braga's right-hand man, and the one who chose all the drivers.

Another man, this one lanky with sharp cheekbones and dark eyes was setting up what looked to be portable GPS units. There were four of them. Vince's attention was turned to Campos when he stood and introduced himself to all of them.

"This is not the kind of driving that most of you will be used to. Here there are no straight lines. This is about getting to where you need to go as fast as possible without any other concerns. There are no rules. The streets will not be blocked off."

This drew some murmurs from some of the others but Vince said nothing. He watched as Campos strode over to the nearby table where the lanky man stood.

"This is Eddie. He's your contact if you get the job. He has programmed all of these GPS units with the race course. You are to follow the instructions. The first driver back gets the job."

At this information Vince wondered how exactly Brian was planning to get around it so that they would both get the job. Provided neither one of them lost the race or got killed in the process.

They filed back downstairs where Eddie installed the GPS into each of their cars and Vince let a soft sigh, wondering if it really would have been worse to stay in prison.

0000

Dom was up before the sun had risen and probably hadn't gotten more than a couple of hours sleep. But with Letty in danger there was really no way he could rest easy. He'd gotten a couple of sodas from the machine outside the hotel and then woken up Leon. Together they gagged their captive and stowed him in the narrow closet before taking Dom's car and driving out to the lot where they'd left the truck.

Dom had a toolbox in his trunk and they used it to remove all of the tanks of nitrous gas from the car. They popped the hood of the truck and shoved two of the smaller tanks in where they could find some space. The fuel tanks on the truck were located on either side, large cylindrical tanks under the step by the doors. The closer they could get to that, the bigger the explosion would be.

Leon rounded the car, carrying one of the tanks. "Are you sure this is going to work?" he asked.

"Can't ever be sure of anything Leon, but it's pretty likely this is gonna work the way we want it to."

"Let's just hope the rest of the plan goes the way we want it to." He slid under the truck to bolt the tank into place.

"It probably won't, but that's why we play it by ear," Dom replied, weariness threading through a voice that sounded calmer than he probably felt.

But Leon had known Dom long enough to know that when he was angry it was a cold, hard anger that would slowly build up until someone paid. The way the guy responsible for his father's death had paid, the way that Johnny Tran had paid for what he did to Jesse, and the way that these men would pay if they didn't get the girls back unharmed.

0000

Letty slowly lifted her head, blinking blearily out of a sleep she hadn't realized she'd drifted into and found Syd watching her with a serious look on her face. She rubbed a hand over her eyes and shifted, stretching her legs out in front of her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"While you were gone that lady came by again, outside to talk to the guards. I guess she doesn't figure either of us speaks the language cause I heard everything she said."

"What did she say?" Letty sat up, her mind clearing the sleep a little.

"The plan is to take us back down towards Sao Paulo in a few hours. They're bringing lots of men. Once they find out where their drugs are they're going to kill us and our "associate"." Syd grimaced.

"Well we just won't make it that easy for them," Letty told her, combing her fingers through her hair.

"What exactly are we going to do? There's dozens of them, and we're not armed."

"It won't matter once we're on the road. Trust me, girl." She moved to her knees, brushing the dirt off her hands onto the faded material of her jeans. She lowered her voice, looking over at the other woman with serious eyes that gleamed in the low light like liquid coal. "All we have to do is gain control of one of the cars. Listen... this is what we're going to do..."


	11. Unwelcome Memories

Author's Notes: I know you guys want to see Vince meet up with the others and I promise it will happen but it's going to take a little longer. He's in LA and they're in Brazil after all! But it should happen in a few more chapters. Next chapter you get some action though! So stick around and thanks for reading!

_Chapter 10: Unwelcome Memories_

_And I've got to be sure  
Cause it's been so long  
And I cannot take the pain again  
If it all goes wrong_

"_Falling for you" - Jem_

Vince pulled up to the starting line at the garage exit with the three other cars. He turned to his right and looked over at Brian, who stared back with a determination in his blue eyes. Vince's hands tightened on the black leather of the steering wheel and he released a long breath, his gaze flickering over the GPS now mounted on his dashboard. He'd been through scarier situations, like hanging from the side of a speeding truck. His arm tingled with the memory. Sometimes he still had problems with the nerves and he'd lost some feeling in it, but he was alive at least.

His right hand rested over the rounded handle of the gear shift as the GPS glowed to life, beginning the count-down. His body was tense, like a bow string wound too tight, and for a moment it seemed like time had stopped and that the world was moving impossibly slow. Then all at once he heard the mechanical female voice saying "ONE" and everything snapped into action. The cars were off like a shot, streaming out into the crowded LA streets where on a night like this one everything was made of lights. Following the instructions on the GPS Vince tuned out the others, narrowing his world down to the road and any obstacles in his way. The Nissan squealed around a corner and swerved past an on-coming SUV.

He could hear nothing but the sound of his engine, and the soft sweet sigh of noise the car made when he shifted. It was a beautiful sound. He'd nearly forgotten.

The GPS directed him to another turn and he dodged between cars that swerved and laid on their horns. He could hear the squealing of wheels somewhere behind him, and the crushing noise of a car collision. Ignoring it he made another turn and started down the straightaway as directed.

He could feel the blood rushing through his veins and the hum of the car's engine coursing through him. This was freedom.

0000

The sky was still dark when a couple of guards came to lead Letty and Syd out of the shed they'd been held in. Gun's prodding at their backs they shuffled wearily across the dirt ground towards a small convoy of all-terrain vehicles, the guards muttering to one another and snapping the occasional "Move it!", which seemed to be the only thing they could say in English.

The girls exchanged looks as their hands were bound with rough rope, tied tightly enough that even after a few moments their hands felt numb and their wrists raw. They were shoved into the back seat together; the door slammed shut behind them and locked. They watched as more guards came out of the house, flanking the woman from earlier. She looked like something off of the cover of a magazine rather than a drug dealer, clothed in skinny black jeans, high high heels and a satiny top of violet that did little to hide the fact she wasn't prone to wearing a bra. She said something to some of the men and then got into the passenger side of one of the other jeeps. Three of the guards accompanied her and eight more loaded up into the remaining vehicles.

Letty and Syd remained silent as their two guards got into the front of their car and the one in the passenger seat turned around and snapped "Don't try anything funny."

The car with the woman in it took point, driving out of the gates as they opened and they followed, the cars with only guards in it bringing up the rear.

The sun wouldn't be up for hours yet but it as easy to tell it would be a muggy day from the way the moisture hung in the air like a shroud. Syd shifted in her seat, trying to ignore the scratchy tightness of the rope at her wrists. Her eyes flicked over the men in the front seat and she could see the scarred handle of a hunting knife where it was fitting into its leather sheath at one's hip. Both men carried some sort of modified automatic, originally military issue probably and highly illegal, not that it being against the law would stop any of these sorts from doing something.

She and Letty sat in silence for the time being. Sydney had lived in Brazil for several years now but was not familiar with this area. If they wanted to make a break for it, they were better off putting their plan into motion closer to the city. So for now they sat, watched and waited.

0000

Braga should have been in a good mood. The party was well underway, and he had just landed himself two new drivers for the next big shipment to cross the border. But a check in with the Villa in Brazil had soured his mood. Gisele... he had always worried it was a mistake to put a woman in charge of his dealings there, but she was good with tech and spoke the language. Of course, her looks may have had a thing or two to do with it.

But he had always known she could be a bit too... soft, too trusting. The drivers she used were always the same, and knew far more about the operation there than they should have. It was something they had constantly argued about, but she had no stomach for killing.

He sighed and sat back in his comfortable chair in the painstakingly furnished upstairs room. Below him he could hear the music pounding. His companion, an older gentleman in an expensive suit, poured another shot of gold-colored liquor for them both and leaned close.

"What do you intend to do about it?"

"Well, I suppose I'll have to go down there and straighten it out myself if she doesn't recover that shipment today and get rid of those meddling civilians."

"I don't see why there's no security at the pick-up location in the first place," the older man muttered and earned a look from his younger companion which had him falling silent with a look of embarrassment

"No, no you're right. I always thought it would make the place look too suspicious, but I'm going to tell her to arrange for a new location, with plenty of security." He downed the last of his drink, letting it burn pleasantly down his throat, then stood. "Well, I better get back to the party before people start to wonder, or worse, snoop around."

0000

It was well after three am when Mia heard the back door swing open, and the soft murmur of male voices. She stirred in her bed, sitting up and blinking bleary eyes. There was a brief moment of nostalgia when she thought back to the days when Dom had still been home. When Jesse was still alive and Leon, Letty and Vince were always over. Some days it seemed they practically lived there, one strange hodgepodge of a family.

Throwing aside the blankets she slid out of bed. It was summer, but the AC left the air in her bedroom chilled so she tugged on a robe over her blue flannel PJ pants and black tank top. Belting it she wandered into the hallway. Down the stairs she could see that it was still dark in the living room, but there was the faint glow of light spilling from the direction of the kitchen.

She slipped quietly down the stairs, avoiding the creaky step three up from the bottom and made her way towards the rectangle of light that was the kitchen doorway. Pausing there, she pressed herself into the shadows of the room and looked in.

Vince was there, pulling some beers out of the fridge. It was the figure seated at the table though, that drew her attention. Her breath clogged in her throat and she felt dizzy. Brian. She hadn't seen him in five years, and now all the sudden here he was, sitting in her kitchen, having a beer with _Vince_ of all people. They had hated one another.

Uncomfortable, Mia sunk further into the darkness of the room, backing away from the doorway. She couldn't face him. She didn't want to. Fleeing, she took the steps two at a time and locked her bedroom door behind her. Curled on her bed she pressed her face into the soft yellow cotton case of her pillow and closed her eyes tightly. Her heart was beating wildly. But why? Fear was the first thought that slipped into her mind. She didn't know how she felt about Brian anymore. He'd turned her world upside-down. He'd come into her life that summer and lied to her every step of the way before helping to take her family away from her. She should hate him. She certainly didn't love him anymore.

How could Vince bring him here, she wondered when she began to feel calmer. He'd always hated Brian. Because of her, she knew. Brian had put him in prison. Though, it was true he had also saved his life by doing so. Sighing, Mia closed her eyes and drew the covers up around her. Her shift at the ER started at seven am. If she was lucky she could get a couple more hours of sleep. Pushing thoughts of the men downstairs from her mind, she let herself drift away into darkness.


	12. Making a Break

Author's Notes: Hey guys! As promised, there is action in this chapter and we're getting pretty close to when Vince will join the others, couple more chapters. Hope you all enjoy!

_Chapter 11: Making a Break_

_Monday morning: Hesitate, I can't get out of bed  
I'd rather go back to the dreams I'm living in my head  
Tuesday evening: Pack my bags, I'm heading out the door  
I left a box of memories lying on the floor_

"_It's Too Late" – Dirty South_

The sun was just struggling over the horizon when the truck with the medical logo was steered into the wide paved lot that sat next to the abandoned junkyard. Here on the very outskirts of Sao Paulo the wilderness began to encroach on civilization. The lot itself was overrun by weeds and the wild long grasses that grew out here were trying to push themselves past the cement barrier.

The junkyard was surrounded by a rusted chain link fence topped with curls of barbed wire. Heaps of metal stretched up into the sky; old appliances, broken down cars stripped of anything of value, and stacks of metal wiring and rebar. At the entrance to the yard, which was connected to the lot, there was a padlocked gate guarded by a crumbling out guard shack. The windows on it were dusty with age and broken.

There was the rumbling of an engine as the black Buick pulled into the lot. It drove past the truck and parked behind the dilapidated shack against the fence. Dom stepped out into the smoggy light of early morning, his eyes shadowed and lined with sleeplessness. His boots scuffed over the cracked pavement as he crossed towards the truck, where Leon was climbing out of the cab.

Neither man had gotten a good night's rest. Leon rifled through the front of the truck, grabbing out the two coffees he'd picked up at the diner near the hotel. He passed one to Dom. The two men shared a weary look and then leaned back against the long white trailer of the truck.

Boosted by the strong, bitter coffee Leon rubbed a hand over his scruffy jaw and sighed. They still had hours before the arranged meeting time. The drugs were stashed and an anonymous tip had been left to local authorities about the medical supply place. But right now the most important thing on his mind was getting the girls back. He knew that Dom shared this sentiment.

They watched in mutual silence as the sun ascended further into the smoggy sky. Leon felt a cold sliver of dread creep up his spine. As he swallowed the cooling coffee, he felt that he couldn't chase the feeling away.

0000

Vince stood in the driveway, the late afternoon sunlight shining down with its usual southern Californian strength. He wiped a hand over his sweaty brow and let out a long heavy sigh. An empty beer bottle sat on the ground near his feet. His scarred work boots scuffed over the cement and then fell still as he shifted uneasily. The neighborhood was quiet this time of day, the sounds of children playing having died off when they were called in for dinner.

Behind him the house was dark except for the lone light shining from the kitchen window. He gazed out across the back lawn, his eyes falling on the shape of the grill that sat unused by the porch, a layer of dust settled over its black lid. The old table they had hauled out for barbeques was folded up and tucked into the garage he knew, and it was unlikely it had been used since that summer five years back.

The back door slammed shut loudly enough to jolt him from his thoughtful study and he glanced up as the figure that stood up on the little back porch.

Mia met his gaze and smiled slightly. The faint breeze made the skirt of her red sundress flutter around her legs as she made her way down the wooden steps and crossed towards him.

"You looked far away."

"I guess I was. Another time." He smiled half-heartedly and she nodded, knowing at once what he meant.

"Vince," she began, looking hesitant. "Will you tell me what's going on?"

He looked at her with somber blue eyes, and she thought it had been a long time since she'd seen him with such heavy thoughts swirling through them.

"I saw Brian here last night," she continued. "Is he the one that got you out of prison? Please Vince, I need to know."

"It's better if you aren't involved Mi," he told her.

She shook her head. "My brother tried that tactic once already, remember? I ended up involved anyway. There's no way I can't be involved when it's about someone who I care about. You're family."

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his head, and then bent to pick up the empty beer bottle. "Let's go inside, and I'll explain everything."

0000

Letty watched as the vehicle came closer and closer to the city of Sao Paulo. Her body was aching and her wrists felt rubbed raw, but she ignored the pain and shifted her gaze towards the men in the front seats. The driver was fiddling with the radio in between watching the road that stretched out ahead of them. They were still far enough from the city that there was no other traffic. She briefly shifted her gaze to Syd, who met it and nodded once then yawned and sat back, her eyes half-lidded.

The man in the passenger seat glanced back at them then began to roll a cigarette. Letty took this as her chance. She vaulted herself over the seat, landing in his lap while striking out with her legs to kick the driver. They both began yelling in Portuguese and the car swerved dangerously on the road.

Tobacco went flying as the man in the passenger seat grabbed at Letty, struggling to subdue her. He couldn't reach for his weapons as she was sprawled over him. Syd leaned forward and tugged at the handle of the driver's side door so that it flew open. The driver struck out with one hand, catching her in the jaw before Letty kicked out with both feet firmly against his shoulder and sent him falling from the car.

It was still swerving on the road and slowing down. Behind them people in the other cars were yelling, while the car at the head of the procession had continued on for a bit, unawares.

The guard in the passenger side would not loosen his grip on Letty and she was struggling against him. Syd leaned down between them, grabbed his gun and whacked him hard over the back of the head with it. There was a sickening crack and blood matted the butt of the weapon. The car had come to a stop and the others were pulling up and scrambling out of their vehicles.

"Grab the wheel go go!" Syd yelled and Letty slid into the driver's seat. She yanked the door shut and slammed her foot down on the gas. The car peeled down the road, tires squealing. Syd fell to her ass in the back seat as Letty steered the car into the correct lane to avoid an oncoming car. She glanced back and saw that one car had stayed behind to pick up the fallen driver, while the other was giving chase. The vehicle up ahead had come to a stop.

Letty ducked as a spray of bullets danced over the windshield. They bounced off the bulletproof glass harmlessly and she swerved around the stopped vehicle, sending the car briefly onto its left wheels. Syd cursed and clung to the seat. Beside Letty the passenger slumped out of his seat, his head falling into her lap.

"Syd can you dump this guy!?"

The other girl moved to search him, grabbing the knife, before opening the door and shoving him out onto the road. She winced as the car giving chase ran him over without a thought and ducked to avoid their bullets. Yanking the door shut she plopped into the vacated seat and tried to maneuver the knife to cut her bonds.

More bullets whizzed past them and Syd tried to keep her head low while she focused on the task. Her hands slipped and she cursed as half the time she cut herself rather than the rope.

Letty watched carefully in the rearview mirror, letting her foot off the gas so that the other car could catch up a bit. She kept pace with it for a while, and then when it was close enough to press bumpers with her she slammed on the brakes. The knife flew from Syd's bloodied hands to land by her feet and she scrambled to brace herself on the dash.

The car following them smashed into their rear, giving them both a jolt, but it was going too fast to maintain control and went sailing into the air before flipping, the car crunching and the metal squealing as it scraped over the pavement. Letty took her foot to the gas again, their rear bumper dragging behind them until it fell free. The remaining two cars had been further behind and pulled to a stop beside the wreck.

Syd glanced back behind them, her face pale and her eyes wide. She looked away, her gaze drawn at the frayed ropes binding her wrists. She gave them a quick tug and they broke free. She winced at the cuts on her hands and wrists, but luckily they were shallow and would do her little harm.

She glanced over at Letty. "Want me to cut you free?"

"If you wouldn't mind?" Letty's gaze flicked to the rearview mirror to see that one car had picked up the chase again. However now she had a good lead on them. "It will make it easier to drive. Also we have to figure out some way to contact the boys."

"Already thought of that." The other girl smiled brightly as she held up the cell phone she'd swiped from the passenger. She pocketed it and leaned over to cut at Letty's bonds. "Once you're free I'll call Leon."


	13. Come Back to You

Author's Notes: Okay guys, I meant to get this out a few days ago but I just got a new laptop (hooray!) and I had to transfer all my writing over before I could edit and whatnot, well enough rambling, enjoy the chapter! Thanks for all the lovely reviews!

_Chapter 12: Come Back to You_

_I'm conflicted  
I inhale now I'm addicted  
To this place, To you babe  
I can't stay away_

"_I Can't Stay Away" – The Veronicas_

Leon was lounging against the side of the truck when his phone started to buzz. He fished it out of his pocket and checked the number. It was unfamiliar but he snapped it open anyway and put it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Leon?" Syd's voice came breathlessly through the tinny speakers, though it was difficult to hear her over the sound of wind whipping around her.

"Syd?" He stood up straighter and Dom turned to look at him. "Where are you? How did you get a hold of a phone?"

"We're just outside the city now and uh...." She paused a moment. "We kind of stole a car from the guards and dumped them out at high speeds..."

Leon's jaw dropped open in mild shock and then he let out a laugh. "Shit, Letty doesn't change does she?"

Beside him Dom gave him an impatient look and Leon held up a finger and turned his attention to the phone. "Okay, Syd are you guys still being followed?"

There was a pause before she replied. "Uh... yeah. It's a good thing this car is bullet proof," she said lightly, still sounding a little nervous.

"You need to bring them here. Dom and I have a plan and hopefully we can get rid of them."

"Okay, where are you?" she asked.

"At the very northern outskirts of town, you know where all the abandoned lots and overgrown farms are?"

"Yeah."

"There's a place called Alonzo's Junkyard in the old Auto District. Think you can get here?"

"Yeah, I have some idea. You can call me back on this number for now." Before she hung up she added, "I love you."

"I love you too Baby." Leon ended the call and looked over at his friend. "They're okay and they're headed here. Now, we're going to have to make a few changes..."

0000

Mia sat at the table across from Vince, playing with her empty glass. They sat in silence, as they had since he'd finished telling her everything. He told her about how Brian had come to him in prison with a deal, and that he had accepted. Mia realized that the danger associated with running drugs for this man Braga was very real.

Her fingers were tense on the glass and she stared at it, watching the condensation gather together and drip down the side of it to form a ring on the wooden table. She pursed her lips, looking as if she might speak, before letting out a sigh and dropping her hands to her lap.

Vince felt unnerved by her silence and he dragged a hand through his hair, his leg bouncing beneath the table. His second beer bottle was long since drained and he twirled it idly, waiting for Mia to speak, to say something, anything.

"I don't know what to say," she finally said, lifting her gaze to meet his. "I want to tell you that I'm not comfortable with this, and that I think it's too dangerous, but at the same time I don't want you to go back to prison." She looked at him for a long moment, her eyes serious. "Do you trust Brian enough to work with him on this?"

Vince considered the question. "I do," he replied after a moment. "I know after he got involved things got messed up before Mi... but I also think what we were into was a train wreck waiting to happen. He just got there when the shit hit the fan. He saved my life... and he let Dom go."

She nodded, her fingertips tracing over the scarred surface of the table. "You're right... it's just harder for me to let go because..."

"Cause he lied to you, and he played with your feelings. I know Mia, and... I don't forgive him for that either."

"I don't think I want to see him," she said, leaning back in her chair. "It would be uncomfortable for me." She pushed a hand through her long straight hair. "When do you make your first delivery?"

"We don't know yet. But we're supposed to get a call from this Eddie guy any day now. It will be short notice, but I'll let you know when I'm going."

She looked up again, their eyes meeting and then hesitantly reached across the table to close her hand over his. "Just be careful, Vince."

0000

Letty took the first turn into the city at close to 100 miles per hour and the Jeep's wheels squealed in protest, the rubber gripping for purchase against the pavement as it slid wide, careening around oncoming traffic. Cars swerved and honked, horns blaring and people cursing out their windows. She ignored them, her dark eyes narrowed as she steered her way through traffic.

The other vehicle was still in pursuit and nearly collided with other cars in effort to catch up with her. Beside her Syd was calling out directions now and again, raising her voice to be heard over the noises of the city. The sun had come out in full force and was blaring down from above with a vicious heat that would have bothered more were they paying it any mind. Letty's wrists were red and rubbed raw where the rope had been, but that too was ignored as they swerved wildly into another turn.

Thankfully the road up ahead was deserted, as they raced towards the abandoned lots where business was never done anymore.

Letty gripped at the wheel as the Jeep whizzed over a road riddled with pot-holes and bumps, kicking up dust and gravel behind them. Up ahead a faded sign read "Alonzo's Junkyard" in weathered red lettering over a peeling white board. The lot that stretched out beside it was sun-bleached cement encircled by a collapsing rusty fence. They could easily the see the hulking white shape of the medical supply truck parked in the center of the lot.

Syd spared a glance back to see that the other car was still tailing them as the Jeep flew into the lot. She heard a sound and turned to see Leon waving from near the truck.

"Stop the car!" he shouted.

Letty spared him an incredulous look but slammed on the brakes, the Jeep squealing to a stop beside him. He rushed up, his eyes flickering over them both worriedly.

"Keep the engine running and don't get out," he ordered, and then turned away as the other vehicle approached.

Leon tucked his hands in his pockets, hiding his nerves behind an expression of confidence. Three armed men and a harried looking woman dressed to go clubbing were climbing out of the car. They pointed their guns at him and Leon raised his hands slowly, a smirk flitting over his face.

"Now now... don't go doin' anything rash here."

The woman's gaze snapped to him and she frowned. "You're the one I spoke with on the phone."

"That's right," he said. "And if you want to see your shipment again you'll tell your men to lower your weapons."

She hesitated, her eyes flickering towards where Letty and Syd still waited in the car, tension in their bodies as they watched the exchange.

"I don't know that I can hold to our... agreement any longer. Your women are responsible for the death of at least one of my men, possibly more."

"Look, Lady..." Leon eyed the gunmen for a moment then turned his attention back to her. "Let's not play around. We both know you were never going to keep your end of the bargain. We know too much about your operation."

"Well then, it seems we are at an impasse." She smiled grimly. "I'm going to guess that my product is not in that truck?"

"Well, that would be rather convenient wouldn't it?" Leon asked, dipping his hands in his pockets. He backed away as one of the men motioned with his gun.

The woman ordered two of them to the back of the truck, and they moved to open the door at the rear. Boxes were scattered around inside and they boosted up to take a better luck. The remaining guard kept his gaze on Leon as he moved towards the cab of the truck. He turned to the woman, a questioning look on his face.

"O que é isso cheire?"

Faster than he knew he could, Leon catapulted into the rear seat of the Jeep the girls were in.

"Drive!!" he yelled and Letty slammed on the gas, peeling away from the parked truck.

There was a soft clicking sound and Gisele's eyes went wide. "Fugir!" she shouted, turning to flee just as the truck ignited in a powerful explosion.

The gas tanks went up in flames, bursting outwards with a force that ripped through metal and the fire lit dozens of smaller explosions in the cab, causing it to tear apart as if it were made out of paper. The force of it sent Gisele flying, as well as the two men in the back of the truck. One of them was on fire, and screamed as he rolled about on the floor. The man who had been standing near the cab was most definitely dead.

Letty made a wide turn around the lot, all of them ducking to avoid flying wreckage as the tires squealed loudly on the cement. The Jeep barreled onto the street and swung to avoid collision with an on-coming truck as Leon clung onto the door to hold himself into the backseat. As they straightened out Letty let out a long breath and narrowed her eyes.

"Leon where the fuck is Dom?"

It took him a moment to reply, and he leaned forward to point ahead of them, where the black Buick was idling on a narrow side-street. "We thought it would be best if they didn't realize there were two of us."

As the Jeep sped past Dom steered his car onto the street behind him. The three people in the vehicle were silent for a moment, before Syd glanced back at her husband.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked. "They know what I look like and that I bought supplies from that front of theirs. It's not going to be hard to track us down."

Leon let out a sigh and rubbed a hand over his face. "I know, we should probably get out of town, start up somewhere else."

"Hell no!" She glared at him. "We worked our asses off to get started with the shop and the clinic. We didn't do anything wrong. Maybe we should call the police."

"Well technically we should not have gotten this involved in the first place. We could get in trouble for the way we handled things. Plus, I think this drug thing goes way beyond Brazil baby."

"What did you find out?" Letty asked, glancing at him through the rearview mirror.

"That woman isn't the head honcho and, according to the driver, the guy who runs everything is running it from the US. That means that the FBI is definitely watching him. You know what that means girl?"

"That means we can't get involved. They're still looking for Dom."

"Well it's a little too late to not get involved. But if you and Dom leave, Syd and I can try and go to the authorities."

"And if the police do shit as usual, you both end up dead and we just left you here to it?" Letty scowled. "You know he won't go for that. Neither will I."

"Letty," Syd began, "It's not your fault. I'm the one that got us into this mess."

"But we agreed we were going to help you guys," Letty countered. "Neither one of us will feel comfortable taking off with things this hairy."

"Look," Leon interrupted, leaning forward from the back seat to look at both of them. "Let's not make any decisions now. We got you two back and that was the biggest thing on our minds. So let's head back to the house and decide what to do. They won't be following us anytime soon."

Both girls fell silent for a moment, and then agreed, and Letty guided the Jeep towards the hotel where Leon said they had stashed the Audi.

_Translations from online sources_

_O que é isso cheire = What's that smell_

_Fugir = Run_


	14. Changing Gears

Author's Notes: So I just bought the movie, which although I really only like the first twenty minutes of it or so, I had to own. Los Bandoleros was really quite good. (Except for the skanks). I thought overall it was well shot and even quite artistic in some frames, but before I sound pretentious I do have one complaint, It wasn't long enough. I wanted more Dom/Letty screen time! Anyway, enjoy this chapter guys. I think the next one will have them meeting up with Vince and Brian.

_Chapter 13: Changing Gears_

"_Could a body close the mind out  
Stitch a seam across the eye  
If you can be good, you'll live forever  
If you're bad, you'll die when you die"_

"_Ramalama (Bang Bang)" – Roisin Murphy_

Braga was awoken by the jarring strain of music bleeding from the tinny speakers of the cell phone lying on the bedside table. He snapped up the phone, groaning about people calling at 6 am. His head throbbed and he rolled onto his side, pressing the phone to his ear.

"What?"

There was a pause, and then Gisele's voice came through the speaker, sounding more than a little shaken. "We have a problem."

He cursed and sat up slowly, the sheets pooling at his waist. "Let me guess. I knew you couldn't handle taking out those civilians. God knows why I even put you in charge there in the first place."

"I'm sorry... I didn't realize those two women would be such problems. Three of my men are dead... I'm not sure what to do..."

He didn't bother asking if she was hurt. He honestly didn't care. "Expect me by tomorrow afternoon." He hung up, tossing the phone onto the bed. Flinging the sheets aside he stood and went to the shower. He would deal with this problem himself.

And he would deal with Gisele too.

0000

Vince sat at the small kitchen table with Mia, eating the breakfast that she had made earlier. It was only about 8am but neither of them had been able to get a good night's sleep in some time. Mia stood to pour herself another cup of coffee as Vince scooped up another fork full of eggs, watching her move easily around the room.

"You work today?" he asked, dropping his gaze back to his plate as she sat once again.

"Yeah, the evening shift." She sighed, pushing her long hair away from her face. "In a couple years maybe I'll be able to get a better position with more ideal hours."

He was about to respond when his phone rang shrilly from its place in his jeans pocket. He fished it out, glanced at the display which told him the caller was "Eddie" and flicked open the phone.

"Yeah?"

"There's been a change of plans. The directions to your destination are being sent to your GPS. I expect you there in two hours. The drive takes at least one. And pack a couple changes of clothes."

The call ended before Vince could reply and he frowned down at the phone.

"What is it, Vince?" Mia's voice brought him back and he looked up at her, his own gaze worried.

Vince tucked his phone away, no longer having an appetite for his breakfast. He lowered himself to his chair, somewhat in a daze before he realized that Mia had spoken. He looked up, his gaze meeting hers.

"It was my contact for the Braga job. I have to leave here in an hour."

"Where are you going?" She looked startled, and afraid.

"I don't know Mia, he didn't give me details. It's better if you don't know."

"No, Vince, you can't tell me to stay here alone while you go and do this."

He sighed, dragging a hand over his face. "You can't come with me. They'll never allow that and I don't want you in danger. Look, I'll call and check in with you but that's all I can promise."

He reached across the table, putting his hand over hers. It felt icy and she trembled briefly, before raising her dark eyes to look at him.

"Vince..." she began, her voice hesitant. She turned her hand to twine her fingers through his, squeezing hard, as if she could hold onto him. "Promise me you'll come back. I can't bear to be alone anymore."

His eyes softened and some unfamiliar feeling moved through him. "I promise."

0000

This late at night the roads were mostly empty but for a few other cars and Dom let his thoughts drift as he followed Leon back towards Rio. The radio was on low, some song he didn't understand and didn't pay much attention to except for the comfort of background noise. In the passenger seat Letty was sound asleep, her head resting against the window. She had knocked out almost immediately after the adrenaline had worn off.

She always slept so soundlessly. Some nights she'd be lying beside him and he could hear the faint sound of her breathing if everything else was silent.

He turned briefly to look at her as the streetlights washed over them, making her bronze skin glow. She did look exhausted, even as she slept shadows hung below her eyes. Her dark hair was loose, having slipped free of its ponytail at some point, and hung around her face in a mass of curls teased out by humidity. Her arms were folded across her lap and he caught the glimpse of the white bandages Syd had dressed her wrists with at the hotel.

When she was asleep she seemed so fragile and vulnerable, like someone he needed to protect. But he knew Letty well enough to know that wasn't the case. She'd always been tough, even as a child. At times he thought she was stronger than him. She was, because she wouldn't let him go.

She had been right that last night in the Dominican Republic when she'd told him she made her own choices. She never let anyone push her around. And here they were, trying to make a run at a normal life and they'd gotten sucked back into danger.

He couldn't blame Leon or Syd for what happened, but he couldn't leave them to deal with the backlash alone either. Letty would agree. Leon had been through a lot with them and his loyalty had never faltered. They owed him as much in return. If the FBI did get involved, then they'd make a break for it, but not before.

0000

Vince pulled off the highway and into the lot of the small private airport about an hour's drive south of home. He spotted Brian's car and some others and a small group of people gathered along the edge of the tarmac. He pulled his car up alongside them and parked, getting out of the car and retrieving a lightly packed duffle that Mia had fished out of Dom's closet for him. He could see the other three drivers with similar bags or small backpacks slung over a shoulder and moved around his car to join the group. Eddie came by with a sensor, quickly running it over the bag to check for bugs or firearms. When he came up clean Eddie went over to stand beside Campos who began to address them.

"I know this is rather sudden, and believe me when I say that this is an unusual job I'm asking of you all, but you'll all be very well compensated for the inconvenience." He indicated the jet sitting several miles away from them being readied by a small crew. "This is my private plane and we're taking it to Brazil. Now I do business all around the world and I have a little something to take care of there, which I need drivers for. If any of you object, speak up now."

"What's the pay going to be?" Juarez, a small Hispanic man with his hair bleached blond inquired, shifting on his feet.

"It will be twice the original fee promised to you. Providing you do the job correctly."

There were no objections to this and so Eddie came around to collect their car keys. "All your vehicles will be stored in our private garage here and returned to you upon our return. You'll all be provided with a vehicle while in Brazil."

Vince glanced at Brian, feeling uneasy about this whole thing, but the other man only shook his head briefly before handing over his keys.

They were led across the tarmac towards the plane and Vince couldn't help the uneasy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to call Mia and tell her what was going on, but wouldn't be able to do that for a while now. Instead he followed the others up the narrow steps and prepared for the trip to Brazil.

0000

It was after dark by the time Leon pulled the Audi into the driveway of the house in Cordoso Moreira. Syd had drifted in and out of sleep in the passenger seat after her initial break down once they'd been safely on the road away from Sao Paulo. She'd been more than shaken. He knew she'd never experienced anything like that in her life, a life so different from the one he'd left behind in LA.

When the adrenaline had worn off she'd been distraught, angry, and scared at turns, before collapsing into an exhausted sleep with her head pillowed against his arm. She was awake now and stepped out at the car, staring up at their home. As she mounted the steps to the front door, excited barking issued from the other side. When Leon unlocked the door Buster was out like a shot, dancing around them, his entire lower half wiggling in excitement that was too much for his nub of a tail alone.

Syd laughed and crouched down to pet him, some of the stiffness draining from her body. She laid her cheek against his soft furry head and watched Dom and Letty approach, weariness in every line of their bodies.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she'd eaten nothing other than a sandwich nabbed at a drive-thru about six hours ago after a good day lacking in food and sleep. Giving the dog one last companionable pet she headed towards the kitchen.

"I'm going to throw something together to eat and then we can sit down and make a few decisions," she called over her shoulder.

"While you do that I'm going to take a shower," Letty replied, heading for the stairs.

Dom followed her up, leaving Syd and Leon alone in the kitchen. He poured some kibble into Buster's bowl before fetching a beer from the fridge. Nudging a chair away from the table he dropped himself into it, his legs sprawled out in front of him. He popped the top of the beer and watched his wife cart a big pot of water to the stove.

He absorbed the pure normalcy of the moment, and surveyed the house, nursing the beer idly. He liked this place. When he and Syd had found it the house had been in need of work, but it came at a good price, so they'd put up a down payment and gotten to work. After 3 years and a lot of sweat and blood the place was charming. He'd refinished the wood floors himself. They'd worked as hard on the house as they had on the garage and the clinic, building a life for themselves in a once-foreign country that they now called home.

Taking the last drink from his beer bottle Leon knew that nothing would take that away from him. And now that he had his friends with him again, nothing would take them away from him either.


	15. Discoveries

Author's Note: I know my posts aren't on any real schedule anymore. But I'm still plugging away! I actually have a pretty large chapter by my standards here. Here Vince and Brian get closer to finding the others. Enjoy and thanks for reading!

_Chapter 14: Discoveries_

_I have wondered about you  
Where will you be when this through  
If all goes as planned  
Will you redeem my life again?_

"_M4 Part 2" - Faunts_

Upstairs, Letty stripped her clothes off and turned on the shower, her movements mechanical with fatigue. She could feel Dom watching her, but both of them were too tired to do more than step under the hot spray together.

Dom closed one large hand around the bar of soap and, as he lathered, the steamy air filled with the scent of sandalwood. Letty closed her eyes as he smoothed those hands over the skin, leaving behind bubbly trails. She leaned back against him, smiling when she discovered that some parts weren't as tired as others.

0000

After a long fifteen hours in the sky the private jet came in for a landing over the small airport. The sun was shining brightly when it touched down and Vince was itching to be off the giant tin can and on solid ground. When his feet hit the tarmac he let out a barely audible sigh of relief. Apparently Brian heard though because he shot him a look of amusement. Vince's only response was a finger before Campos and his men approached the group of drivers.

"You gentlemen will have the treat of staying in Mister Braga's Villa while we are here, but there is not going to be a lot of time for rest and relaxation. Once I get things in order we'll be heading out, so I suggest you get some sleep as soon as we arrive."

0000

The simple dinner of pasta was eaten quickly, the long stretches of silence interrupted only by small talk; memories of previous times spent together, shop talk about cars, and Dom and Letty's adventures in the Dominican Republic.

After dinner Dom and Leon headed out back with their beers while Letty helped Syd clean up. Leon took a long drink from the bottle, watching Buster streak across the lawn after a squirrel. Dom stepped up beside him, leaning against the railing of the back porch.

"You know Let and I aren't going to leave you guys here to deal with this alone."

Leon hesitated, nodding slowly as he rubbed a hand over the stubble on his jaw. "It's pretty clear that you're still the same stubborn bastard you always were. And Letty isn't any better."

They shared a laugh before lapsing into silence again. After their bottles were drained it was Dom who broke it once again.

"How long do you think it will take them to make their move?"

"Not long. They have descriptions of the girls, and they can easily track Sydney through her involvement with the medical supply place. They'll get all her information by the end of the day, if they don't have it already. The house, the clinic, me. It won't be hard for them to come after us."

"Well then, maybe we better make sure we're ready for them," Dom suggested. "We should get together some information of our own."

"We have internet access here. I'll see what I can dig up on the woman. I can even run the numbers from the driver's cell phone, see what comes up."

"Seems you've learned a few things since we last saw you."

Leon shook his head. "I got started by watching Jesse, picking up on the things he did."

They shared a moment of silence, remembering their fallen friend. Dom clapped a hand on Leon's shoulder. "We should go in, let the girls know what we plan to do."

After calling to the dog Leon followed Dom into the house and let the screen door slap shut behind him.

0000

It was nearing evening when they arrived at Braga's Villa north of Sao Paulo. Vince glanced around at the armed guards patrolling the grounds as he stepped out of the vehicle. A cold lump hovered in his gut as his trepidation increased.

Silently he and the other driver's followed Campos' man Fenix into the building. It had the look of an old fashioned plantation, but was well maintained. The furniture inside was fancy stuff that he wouldn't feel comfortable sitting on for fear of breaking or dirtying. They were to share rooms, and he and Brian were placed in a large suite with striped blue wallpaper and two twin beds flanking a night stand with curved wooden legs. The door was shut behind them and Vince hesitantly lowered himself to sit on one of the beds.

Letting out a long breath he rubbed a hand over his chin and shook his head. "I don't know man... this doesn't feel right. Why would they bring us all the way out here?"

"I don't know. Obviously something's happened here that's put a kink in Braga's plans. So Campos was sent to take care of it. He hired us; he might as well use us for this." Brian crossed towards the window, tucking his hands into his pockets.

"And those guards everywhere. Did you see them?" Vince asked, and then continued on without waiting for a response. "They have automatics. The really illegal sort. We're basically prisoners here."

"Well they didn't say we couldn't look around the place," Brian replied, turning to face his companion. "I don't know about you, but I'm not going to sit up here doing nothing."

"You want to get shot?" Vince asked incredulously.

"No. Look, there are plenty of reasons we'd be looking around. We're hungry, we need some extra towels... Are you coming or not?"

Brian was standing by the door now, looking at him expectantly.

"Towels..." Vince muttered, before following him out.

Once in the hallway they paused to glance around. There were no guards here, and so they cautiously headed towards the stairway they had come up on their way in. Two large winding staircases gracefully swooped down from the landing to the grand foyer. They were spread with thick red carpeting. Relieved that they still did not spot any guards they made their way across towards the opposite wing of the house.

"My guess," Brian said keeping his voice pitched low. "Is that this is where Campos' rooms will be, on the opposite side of the house from where he put us. Maybe we can find something."

They continued down the hall for a ways, until they saw a small sliver of light coming from a cracked doorway up ahead. They slowed, moving forward as quietly as possible until they were able to make out the murmur of voices.

There was a woman's voice, unfamiliar and slightly accented. Brian moved closer, straining to catch the words.

"... and they were definitely working with a man, he rigged the truck to explode..."

There were the familiar tones of the man they knew as Campos, "Well you managed to find the women in the system and it won't be hard to take them out. A doctor and her mechanic husband?" He scoffed. "The other woman has a record," he paused.

Vince frowned, narrowing his eyes as he pressed closer to try and peer through the crack in the door. He could see Campos' back, slightly turned away, shuffling papers in his hands, and a glimpse of what looked like a mug shot of a dark haired woman. Familiar, but then Campos moved again, blurring his view.

"These people aren't nationals, they won't have contacts here," the woman's voice again, but neither of them could catch a glimpse of her. She sounded young.

"Or family," Campos replied. "Which is why it will be easy to make them disappear. I'm disappointed in you Gisele. I don't like having to come out here and clean up your mess, use my drivers for a job that should have been done." He slapped the papers down on a desk, and the top one fluttered free, landing face up on the floor. Vince zeroed in on it, his stomach doing a flip flop. The dark eyes, the scowl. It was Letty.

There were the sounds of Campos' footsteps moving towards them and Brian motioned for Vince to follow him. Slowly they backed away as the man's voice grew louder.

"We'll find these people, get the information from them by whatever means necessary, and then deal with them. If you're lucky we'll get the product back, and I won't have to deal with you too."

He stalked into the hallway just as Brian and Vince ducked into the nearest room. Sharing a look of panic they held their breath until his footsteps passed them by and faded away.

Vince found his voice again, rubbing a hand over his face. "This is crazy... did you see that? One of the people they're after... it's Letty."

0000

Around Dom the house was silent and dark, the other inhabitants fast asleep. Beside him Letty lay curled against his body, her even breaths teasing against his ear. His body was sapped of energy but his mind was wide awake as he stared up at the ceiling.

After dinner Leon had hunkered down in front of the computer and run traces on the numbers from the cell phone. Most of them turned up petty criminals; drug users, small time sellers, thieves, and the like. It was the number for the driver's contact that had most interested them. Gisele Harabo, Brazilian national, age 28, a clean record, but also listed suspect for working with a man named Braga. Letty had recognized the name, having heard about him on the news the last time she went to LA to see Mia. That was five years ago now, but apparently the man was still running drugs, and still keeping out of the FBI's reach.

Knowing this woman was possibly involved with Braga meant that this was probably linked to an international criminal, which could mean more trouble for them. And if Braga was involved he would likely solve his problem by eliminating it, which meant that Leon and Sydney's lives were in danger. Dom wasn't going to leave Brazil until he was sure that was no longer the case.

0000

Once back in their room Vince locked the door and pulled out his cell phone.

"What are you doing?" Brian asked, crossing towards him.

"I'm going to call Mia. Maybe she knows what Letty is doing here."

Brian slapped the phone out of his hands quickly. "Don't use that! I'm sure that they're keeping tabs on our communications. That Eddie guy has your number, remember?"

"Yeah," Vince said, frowning. "So what do we do?"

"I have a second cell with me. It's secure." He passed it to Vince, who took it with thanks and began to dial the number again.

Three rings and he heard Mia's voice on the other end of the line. "Hello?"

"Mia? It's Vince, look I don't have long."

"Vince? Where are you? What's going on?"

"Look I can't really explain much but we're in Brazil." He kept his voice low, unsure if anyone would be passing by or if the rooms were bugged or otherwise monitored.

"Brazil?" Her breath caught. "Why so far away? Why would this man hire drivers from LA for a job thousands of miles away??"

"I think it was just a complication. But listen, Mi... Is there any reason why Letty would be here?"

"Letty?" There was a long pause. "I don't... Oh! Wait a second." There was the sound of some rustling through papers before her voice returned, slightly breathless. "Okay, here it is. I got a letter from Leon a few years ago. He lives in Brazil."

Vince was shocked. "Leon...?"

Brian looked at him in surprise, mouthing a "what?" at him but Vince waved him off.

"Yeah," Mia half-laughed into the phone. "He went there after everything went down. Laying low for a while I guess when he met some girl. He's married now. But I gave Letty a letter from him when she came here after Mexico. She probably remembered and decided to go see him."

Questions swirling in his head Vince rubbed at his jaw. "Okay, okay... Mi I need the address. I think they're in trouble."

"In trouble? Why what happened?"

"I don't have time to explain. If I find them I'll call you but I need the address."

There was a hesitation and then more rustling of papers before she rattled off the address.

"Thanks Mia. I promise I'll call again as soon as I can." With that he disconnected, looking down at the address he'd scribbled on the back of a receipt.

Brian was looking at him expectantly. "Well? What did you learn?"

"Leon is living here in Brazil, near Rio de Janeiro. Letty's probably down here visiting him." He handed Brian the address. "What I don't know is why Campos wants to take her out."

"I think that's a question only Letty can answer."

"Yeah, but we have to get to her and Leon and warn them."


	16. The Breakout

Author's Note: Yeah so… I haven't updated this fic in a long long time. I actually got stuck on it and then busy and neglected to go back and work through the problem. Anyway, I definitely owe you guys an ending, so I'm going to try and wrap this up. I already have this chapter written out so hopefully I'll be back to regularly posting again. Thanks for all those who are still interested in the story and the lovely reviews that remind me!

Chapter 15: The Breakout

_Spent the night in an L.A. jail_  
_And listened to the sirens wail_  
_They ain't got a thing on me_  
_I'm running wild, I'm running free, yeah_

_I'm running free, yeah, come on, I'm running free_

"_Running Free" – Iron Maiden_

Under the concealment of nightfall Brian and Vince slipped out of the Villa and into the dark. Here and there lights shone from above, casting circles of illumination across the ground. The guards milled the area, or stood watch near the walls.

Keeping their backs pressed against the side of the house they inched their way towards the garage. A quick glance showed them several all-terrain vehicles and a small, sleek black sports car, probably Braga's personal auto. The garage also house a small guard shack, and two other armed men sat in kicked back chairs near the door, feet up and cigarettes curling smoke up past their faces.

Brian made a slicing motion across his neck and shook his head, saying that route was too risky. Skirting around the side of the large building they scanned the darkness. A Jeep lumbered by, light washing over the lone driver's grimacing face as he passed under a lamp, before falling into darkness once more. The vehicle slowed, and he climbed out of the seat, leaving it idling as he stumbled towards the tree-line, fumbling with his zipper.

Silently Vince and Brian ducked down and ran for the Jeep. Brian climbed into the passenger seat and Vince got in after him, jerking the car out of park and slamming on the gas. The tires kicked up dirt as the car sped towards the front gate. The driver who had gone to relieve himself began chasing after them, yelling, his pants still undone.

Others were alerted and the sounds of gunfire filled the air, followed by the piercing whine of an alarm. Keeping his head low Vince picked up speed. The guards were firing, but the bullets simply bounced off the car thanks to whatever modifications had been made on it. The gate loomed ahead of them, closed bars of metal, and he wondered if the car would make it through, or if they would end up a smear against them instead.

Thanks to the Jeep's reinforced exterior and bullet-proofing it barreled into the gate, knocking it off its hinges and buckling it. The vehicle dragged the twisted piece of metal several feet before it dropped free. The Jeep swerved once before Vince steadied it and sped away down the bumpy dirt and gravel road.

Brian dared to turn and check behind them. He saw the headlights of several pursuers through the dark and scrambled in his pocket for the address Vince had written earlier. Pulling up the GPS on his phone he plugged it in.

"Okay Vince," he said, raising his voice to be heard over the wind rushing over the open top of the Jeep. "This road will take us straight to the highway. But we want to lose these guys before we get to Leon's place. So push it as fast as you can."

A smile, half grim, half excited, flicked across the other man's face. "You got it."

0000

Letty sat on the back porch, beer held loosely in her hand, Syd sitting Indian-style to her right. It was quiet, the only sound the chirping of the crickets and leaves rustling in the faint breeze.

Letty's bottle was nearly empty when the sounds of tires squealing filled the night air. Both girls pushed to their feet at the sight of rapidly approaching headlights and the porch door swung open. Syd looked over her shoulder to see Dom's imposing figure filling the doorway.

"Get inside," the command was a low rumble.

He stepped aside so that they could move past him into the house. With an order to lock the door he stepped out onto the worn wooden planks of the porch, hands tucked casually into his pockets. Letty cast a dark glare at his back before pushing the door closed. Leon stood at the window looking out, gun tucked into the waist of his jeans, half empty bottle of beer dangling from his fingertips.

The girls joined him, peering out into the darkness. The car approaching had slowed and was pulling up in front of the house. The doors opened and two men stepped out. Dom slowly descended the porch steps. Then the driver shouted something that had him pausing. He laughed and turned to look at them through the window.

"Let, Leon, get your asses out here! The cavalry has arrived!"

Letty was already opening the door as Leon drained the last of his beer and slid his arm around Syd's waist.

They heard Letty's laugh as she was scooped into a hug by a man with a shadowed jaw and a scar winding down the length of one arm.

Leon let out a howl. "Well, well I didn't know this was coyote country. What the hell are you doing here sweet cheeks?"

The man released Letty with a chuckle, then said, "Actually I'm here to get your ass out of trouble, as usual." His gaze flickered curiously over Syd. "Aren't you gonna introduce me, Lee?"

"Oh yeah, right. This is my wife, Sydney. Syd, this is Vince."

She smiled at the shocked look on Vince's face and reached out to shake his hand. "Leon's told me a lot about you."

"All lies," he insisted with a grin, shaking his head in mild disbelief.

It was then that they realized that Dom was staring silently at the man still standing by the car. Tension was thick in the air.

"Why's he with you?" Dom asked Vince, never taking his eyes off the other man.

Syd tried to place him but didn't recognize him from any of Leon's old photos.

"Who is that?" she asked her husband in a hushed voice.

"Brian O'Connor," Leon answered. "The cop that was on our tail back in LA."

Brian stepped forward, holding up his hands in surrender. "I know you're all angry with me. And you have a right to be. But now isn't the time. You're all in serious danger. How about we all step inside and Vince and I can explain."

"That's a good idea," Syd said, laying a hand against Leon's back. "Come in. I'll make us some coffee."

0000

Mia stood looking up at the house that she had lived in all her life and wondered if she would ever see it again. Turning away she closed the trunk of her car and circled around towards the driver's side. Checking her printed ticket receipt once more she slipped it into her purse and turned the key in the ignition. With one last look at the darkened house Mia backed out of the drive and followed the road towards the nearest highway entrance.

Turning the radio up she steered into sparse traffic and reflected on her conversation with Vince earlier that day. He was in Brazil, for God knew what reason, and now somehow Letty was there too? And if Letty was there, then Dom might be as well. But Brian was with Vince and he was still a cop, hell he was FBI. Could they trust him?

All Mia knew, as she followed the signs for LAX, was that she was tired of being left behind. She wasn't going to sit at home waiting any more.

0000

Hours after explanations and accusations had filled the sunny kitchen with tension Sydney silently cleaned. The rest of the house was quiet now; Brian and Vince settled into the second spare room in sleeping bags Leon had recovered from a linen closet, Dom and Leon outside with the dog, their occasional conversation no more than a murmur.

Syd crouched down to gather broken shards from a beer bottle that someone had dropped or thrown. She couldn't recall. The history here was something she was not a part of. Her hands trembled and she pressed the back of one against her forehead, taking a moment to steady herself.

She looked up at the sound of footsteps and over her shoulder at Letty.

"Hey, I thought you went to sleep."

"Nah," the other woman replied. "Too restless. You should go though. You look like shit. All pale."

Syd cracked a brief smile. "Thanks. It will pass. Just nausea." She sighed and shifted her weight to sit, dropping the glass into the dust pan at her feet."

"Eat something bad?" Letty asked.

"Huh?" Syd blinked, then smiled. "No, just nervous I think. It's like all the sudden all of this is hitting home. I guess I'm a bit freaked out."

"Not so strange when an international drug dealer has you on his hit list," Letty replied.

"Thanks for the reassurance," Syd said dryly.

"I'm right there with you, girl. I've been closer to death. Everything will be fine."

"You mean like when you were jacking trucks?" Syd asked. "I guess you guys are used to being in danger, huh?"

"Yup. Though if anyone is, it's Dom more than the rest of us."

"Why's that? Because he did most of the racing?" Syd sat with her cup of water, joining Letty at the table.

"No, cause he's dumb enough to hit on skanks in front of me," Letty dead-panned.

Syd looked at her and they shared a laugh.


	17. I'm Not Running

Author's Note: Okay so I haven't updated this fic in like two years and I honestly don't expect anyone to still be following it. I would have given up after so long. But with the release of the trailers for Fast Six I am pretty much hardcore shipping Dom and Letty right now. I thought about writing a one-shot or something based on the trailers and my hopes for the new film, but I remembered I had this sitting unfinished and I didn't feel right writing something new with it still not done. So I buckled down and in the last month I've finished it. It didn't totally go in the way I planned, but it's DONE! So I'm pretty happy with that. I just really want to get it posted up and marked as complete. It's a big sense of accomplishment for me. Just a reminder this movie goes AU from the start of Fast Four. So Five has no place here. Done rambling.

Chapter 16: I'm Not Running

"_When your dreams all fail  
And the ones we hail  
Are the worst of all  
And the blood's run stale"_

_Demons – Imagine Dragons_

Braga was angry. It took a lot to make him lose his temper, but he had hit that point and surpassed it. Obviously he was surrounded by incompetent fools! First Gisele loses an entire shipment and fails to take care of those responsible, forcing him to make a costly trip to take care of things himself. And to top things off now two of the drivers he'd brought along had stolen a car and taken off in the middle of the night. He wasn't sure why, but it didn't matter. He should have seen it coming. It would not be happening again. He would take care of this and see to it that the whole mess was gone before he left Brazil.

Puffing idly at the cigar clenched between his teeth he watched his men arm themselves in preparation. He intended to take any means necessary to get these people out of his hair. That usually meant bodies. But he was good at getting rid of bodies. And when that was all he had left to deal with it would be a pleasure and a relief.

He dropped the remains of the cigar into the dirt and crushed it beneath his shoe. The sun was just rising over the horizon, staining the early morning sky orange.

"Let's move," he ordered, motioning his men toward the awaiting vehicles before following them, his boots scuffing along the worn dirt path.

He climbed into the back of the sleek black town car and accepted the pistol that Eddie passed voer the front seat. Gisele sat beside Braga, wearing slim black jeans and a red satiny top. He checked the gun's ammo and then let his gaze move over her slowly. He knew why he had given her so much freedom in the past: thinking with the wrong head. He would almost be sorry to see her go.

0000

Letty was already half asleep when Dom crawled into bed beside her. She murmured sleepily and curled into him. One strong arm wrapped around her, callused palm cupped against the curve of her hip. Letty smiled and closed her eyes again. She could smell him, the tang of outdoors, a hint of engine grease and the subtle musky scent of his cologne. She buried her face against the crook of his neck and relaxed against him. For a moment there was no sound but their own breathing in the stillness of the room.

"What do you think is gonna happen?" she asked, breaking the silence.

His hand stroked over her hip lightly and he let out a sigh. "They'll make a move and soon. Either we'll take them out, or they'll take us out. There's no option other than running. I'm tired of doing that."

His voice sounded weary and she sat up to look down at him with sleepy brown eyes, her hair a mass of curls around her face. He reached up to trace her lower lip with the pad of his thumb. Letty took his hand in her own, pressing a kiss against the palm.

"We're not running anymore," she said. "And we're not alone."

She leaned down to kiss him and he tangled his hands in her hair, drawing her close so the length of her body was pressed into his.

She was right, and it was much better than trying to handle things alone.

0000

They knew Braga was coming. They would be ready for him. There was something to be said for having a plan.

So in the morning they sat around the kitchen table as Syd stood at the stove. The room smelled of fresh coffee and sausage on the griddle. There was a thick tension in the air, the only sound was the crackling of sausage and the soft scrape of a spatula against the pan.

It was Brian who spoke first, finally breaking the silence. "We do have the option of contacting the local authorities for help," he said. "Braga and his crew are on the FBI's most wanted list."

"Yeah, but in case you forgot," Letty put in with a look. "So are some other people at this table."

"It's a last resort," Dom said. "We can't dismiss the idea, or the help if we need it. I'll just have to be gone by the time the authorities show."

"Can't you cut Dom a deal like you did for me?" Vince asked Brian. "Get him off the list?"

"It wouldn't be that simple," Brian replied. "There's a lot more on Dom's records. The FBI has a lot of suspicions about all that fuel that went missing in DR."

That had Letty and Dom exchanging a glance that Brian pretended not to see.

Vince frowned, then laughed and slapped Dom on the shoulder. "Getting into trouble even without me huh?"

"He can't seem to get away from it," Letty muttered.

"Look," Dom said. "We still have a bargaining chip. We have Braga's stash. And he's a business man. He's gonna want to make sure he can get it back before he does anything else. So there might be a way we can use the cops. We bait a trap for Braga and his goons. They walk right into the situation and are caught dirty."

"You might want to look above the local authorities," Syd put in as she placed the plates of egg and sausage on the table. "They're probably just as dirty. After all, my trucks have been used for these drug shipments for months. I reported it when I never got my supplies and they didn't do a damn thing about it."

"I can call in the feds," Brian said. "But Dom is going to have to stay out of sight in that case."

"I think we should all stay out of sight if we can help it," Leon added. "Aside from the fed and Syd we're not exactly squeaky clean individuals."

"I'm a far cry from squeaky clean, Leon," Brian replied with a raised brow.

"Yeah but you carry the badge so you get a pass, Blondie."

There was brief laughter around the table. With a plan underway some of the tension seeped out of the group. Syd began to serve breakfast, a pile of pancakes joining the food already on the table.

"I do have an idea," she suggested carefully, glancing at Leon.

He tensed slightly, sure he wasn't going to like what she said.

"What is it?" Letty prompted.

"Since it's my trucks they were using it would make sense if I was the one to report them to the authorities. We can use the shipment as bait, get Braga and his goons to the location and Brian and I will be waiting with the feds."

"It seems pretty low-risk," Brian put in.

"Unless Braga decides to get in a shoot-out with the FBI and you two are caught in the middle," Leon replied, obviously uncomfortable with putting his wife into that situation.

"I'll keep her safe," Brian said. "Considering all the options this is probably the safest way to do it."

0000

Braga had a way of dealing with his anger. He liked to channel it into violent acts. Generally there were punishments for those who had dared to move against him, and thus served more than a single purpose.

When a man ran a business it was important to think in economic terms. That was why he and his crew drove up to the medical clinic late in the evening. The lights were still on; a place like this would be open at all hours, but the staff would be smaller than during the daytime.

There were a few cars parked in the lot and the lights were on, but the stretch of road was quiet. His black car pulled into a space, tires crunching rocks and gravel beneath. Two jeeps followed suit and Braga stepped out.

In the working-class neighborhood he looked startingly out of place with the shiny Italian leather shoes and the black designer suit. But Braga was more than comfortable in his own skin, two muscled bodyguards flanking him as he approached the clinic's front door.

An elderly woman and a young dark-haired girl said in the waiting room. They looked up, the old woman clutching the girl close protectively. Braga tilted his head towards the door and the woman whispered to the child, grabbing her hand and fleeing out the door behind him. Let it never be said that he was heartless.

The receptionist behind the desk said nothing as a half-dozen armed men filed into the room behind Braga, but he saw her slowly reaching for the phone on her desk.

"Ah, ah," he tsked, approached her leisurely. "Don't try anything smart, darling. You'll be dead before you can dial a single number."

Her hand stilled and the woman swallowed, her dark eyes fixed upon him.


	18. This Means War

Chapter 17: This Means War

"_Come and take a walk on the wild side  
Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain  
You like your girls insane  
Choose your last words  
This is the last time  
Cause you and I, we were born to die"_

_Born to Die – Lana Del Ray_

Leon stood in the wan light of the pre-dawn morning, staring at the charred remains of the clinic. The blackened skeleton of the structure was damp from the water the fire crews had loosened to kill the flames, but they still ushered tendrils of grey smoke and while steam into the air.

Syd had stood beside him, at first speechless at the sight of everything they'd worked for burnt to ashes. Then she'd simply cried, going back to sit in the car while he waited for the report from the police. The man approached, his face damp with sweat and grimy with soot. He motioned for Leon to follow him towards the remains of the clinic.

"This was arson, plain and simple," the man explained, indicating the charred carpeting that still remained in places. "There are traces of accelerants in the carpeting and on the wood, and the few pieces of furniture that remained. We identified two victims caught in the fire, but signs show they were already dead before. Shot in the head execution style. The ME is taking them so he'll have more information tomorrow, but my guess is that the victims were the night staff. The Receptionist Mrs. Alves and the night nurse, Miss Mendes."

Leon could only nod silently. He'd known both of the women fairly well. They'd been so happy to work at the clinic, seen the need for better medical treatment in their community, for something more accessible. He'd met Mrs. Alves husband and her two sons. He and Syd had eaten dinner at their house more than once. And now she would never be able to go home to her family. Syd would feel responsible. It was her poking around in the missing trucks that had gotten the attention of this Braga and his crew. But it wasn't her fault. He needed to assure her of that.

And he needed to take care of Braga.

0000

"Clearly this Braga has no problem killing people just to make a point," Leon said later when he sat out on the back porch with Vince, Dom and Brian. "Those poor ladies had nothing to do with any of this and he shot them in cold blood. He burned down my wife's clinic to make a point. He wants us to be scared."

"What does he think that will accomplish?" Vince asked. "It's not like he's gonna back off and let us be anyway. He scares us it won't change that we know stuff about his operation. He's gonna come after us and try to kill us either way."

"He's trying to scare us to prove that this is his game," Brian said, leaning back to take a drink from his beer. "That there's nothing we can do. And if we try he kills what we love."

"Well he's going to be in for a surprise," Dom says. "Because he just pissed us off. We're going to shut him down. I don't think just setting him up for the feds is enough anymore. I think we need to tear apart his whole operation."

"That's a tall order," Vince said.

"How do we wage war on a drug lord with his own hired army?" Leon asked, leaning forward curiously.

"We just have to get the right hardware," Dom replied with a smile.

0000

Mia had spent the flight wedged between a talkative woman with a weak grasp of English and a large man who kept resting his head on her shoulder while he slept.

In short, she had never been so happy to set her feet on solid land. Even if it was in an entirely foreign country where no one was expecting her arrival. She took the single carry-on she had packed and puzzled her way through the airport towards the car rental desk.

A niggling doubt was creeping into the back of her mind. Maybe she should have called first. They would still be happy to see her, wouldn't they?

0000

At Leon's garage he closed down for the day, apologizing to people who had appointments and rescheduling them for the following week. Cars crammed the lot out front and the lights were on, but the sign reading CLOSED was turned outwards in the doorway.

Brian, Vince and Dom worked around the cars, refitting them with larger, stronger bumpers, replacing the glass and bulletproofing the chasis. Out back Leon was coating one of the refitted cars in paint. Nothing fancy, but it would look like nearly any other car once it was on the road.

They were intense in their concentration and silent as they worked, only speaking when they needed assistance or a part passed their way. There was, after all, not a lot of time before they had to make their move. Braga would not give them the luxury of time. It would not be much longer before he would strike at them in a more personal manner. The destruction of Syd's clinic had just been the first step. They all knew this.

0000

Back at the house Letty and Sydney laid out a large piece of chart paper across the kitchen table. Pencils in hand they sketched out what they could remember from their time spent as "guests" on the drug lord's Villa. A large walled perimeter, flanked on three sides by the lush jungles of Brazil. The front wall where the gate and manned guard post were led out to the dirt road. They marked out the position of the main house, the garage and the supply sheds.

Murmuring they placed X's along patrol routes they had seen. It wasn't the best map, nor was it going to be the most accurate, but it was something to help them formulate a plan. And they sorely needed a plan. Syd was feeling nervous and on-edge. She was still angry about what Braga had done to her clinic, and that anger led to the desire for revenge.

Sighing, she blew a lock of hair out of her face and glanced at Letty.

"I wanted to thank you…"

Letty raised a brow, sitting down in one of the chairs as she eyed her warily. "Thank me for what?"

"For helping me with this. I mean… I guess I could wait for the Police to figure this out… and maybe Braga and his goons would get caught. But he… he killed my friends. I don't even want to grant him the luxury of rotting in jail. I want revenge. Does that make me… a bad person?"

"Shit.." Letty muttered, dragging a hand through her hair. "You're asking the wrong person, Syd. I'm not exactly poster girl for being good."

Syd couldn't help but laugh at that, but shook her head. "Not true. I mean… you and Dom and even Leon… you've all done things that are illegal. Criminal. But, it's not like you killed people," she said that softly. "It's just stuff… you know. Just things."

"Lots of people don't think of it that way. I mean… yeah we didn't kill nobody. But we knew what we were doing. It's not like we were… Robin Hooding it up or something. I feel like… well we all had different reasons for why we did it, but underneath it all I think we were just addicted to the adrenaline rush. Like racing wasn't enough for us anymore. We wanted to see if we could do it."

"I guess there are worse ways to get your kicks," Syd said with a smile.

There was the sound of a car approaching slowly, wheels turning over the gravel of the driveway and she stood up, heading for the window. Letty moved to get the pistol Leon kept in the kitchen drawer.

"Is it Braga or one of his guys..?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"No… I don't think so." Frowning, Sydney went to open the front door.


	19. Don't Leave Me Behind

Chapter 18: Don't Leave Me Behind

"_They were the only friends I ever had  
We got into trouble and when stuff got bad  
I got sent away, I was waving on the train platform  
Crying 'cause I know I'm never comin' back"_

_This is What Makes Us Girls – Lana Del Ray_

Mia double-checked the address she'd scribbled down onto a scrap of paper in her purse. It was the same one she'd entered into the GPS of her rental car. Sighing, she shook the nerves out of her shoulders and looked up at the house. There was a black Audi parked in the driveway, but that was it. Honestly, she'd expected more cars. Maybe they were out?

Opening the car door she stepped out onto the gravel drive and grabbed her carry-on bag. She slung it over her shoulder just as the front door swung open. An unfamiliar woman stepped outside, dressed casually in denim shorts and a yellow tank. Her hair was brown and sun-streaked. She certainly didn't look native.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked.

"Yeah I'm… looking for Leon?" Mia ventured hesitantly. She hadn't thought that he wouldn't be around. She'd half expected him to be lounging in the front yard, having a beer with Brian and Vince.

"He's at the garage right now," the woman said. "But I'm his wife." She offered a smile. "You can come in."

"Who is it Syd?" another voice called from inside and it was this one that Mia recognized. Her eyes went wide as Letty appeared in the doorway. The two women stared at each other a moment.

And then Mia laughed, rushing up the front steps to grab her friend in a hug. Letty smiled, then drew back.

"Shit, girl. What the hell are you doing here?" She sighed and shook her head. "Syd, this is Mia. Dom's sister."

"Dom's here?" Mia squeaked, suddenly excited. She hadn't seen her brother in years, longer than that even it felt like some days.

"He is," Letty confirmed. "But he's probably not going to be so thrilled to see you. Mi, why'd you come here now? It's not safe."

"What do you mean it's not safe?" Mia asked, following them inside. She set her bag down by the couch as Sydney disappeared into the kitchen to get some drinks. "Does this have something to do with the job Vince was running with Brian?"

"I guess so. The drug runner has an operation here in Brazil too. He was using fake medical trucks to transport product and well… shit happened and now we're involved. That's the short version." She sat on the couch heavily, glancing back towards the kitchen. "Sydney… that's Leo's wife. She had a medical clinic here in the city and they burned it down because we know too much. They killed the people who worked for her. They made it personal."

"So I'm guessing that means we're not calling the cops. I mean… not that we can…" Mia murmured, remembering her brother was a wanted man.

"The boys are at the garage now making plans. Dom's not gonna want you involved in this Mi."

"He doesn't have a choice this time," she replied, her dark gaze serious as she accepted a beer from Syd. "I'm done sitting at home in LA safe and sound while you guys do crazy things and risk your lives."

"Maybe this'll be the end of it," Letty murmured. "One way or the other…"

0000

A trip to the local hardware store had Leon feeling on edge. It wasn't just that he was building explosive devices in his garage with the intention of taking out a drug lord. It also wasn't that he was doing this in the presence of a cop. But it was that he'd gotten his wife involved.

If he wanted to get technical he supposed she'd actually gotten them involved. But if it had just been Syd, she could have called the cops and that would be the end of it. Her clinic would still be standing. Her employees would still be alive. He wouldn't be involving her in an incredibly illegal thing like blowing up a Villa. Even if it belonged to a man who was the scum of the earth. Even if the feds wanted him behind bars or dead or just stopped. They wouldn't have okayed this operation, and they all knew it.

But they also knew that cops were dirty. The locals sure were and they might have ended up dead if they waited for someone higher up to get involved. Maybe this wasn't what he wanted for her, but he sure as hell would prefer if they all stayed alive.

Hunched over a workbench with Brian they pieced together the parts based on some instructions from the internet. It was a place you could find anything, and Brian had confirmed that the pieces worked. The feds were often trying to pull stuff like this off the web, but it kept cropping back up.

Vince and Dom were hunched together over a car which they'd stripped down to the gills on the inside. It would drive via a remote that had been fixed into the car's internal computer and a complicated rig on the steering wheel and gas. They'd towed it over to an abandoned lot earlier in the day to test it. Under the hood and in the trunk was where they'd load their explosives, the first part of their plan.

It had been Brian who'd come up with the idea. They would be driving into a Villa packed with arm guards. This wasn't where they excelled, playing a lot better on the move, but if they could goad Braga and his cronies into a chase and destroy his base of operations at the same time then it would work out for them.

Leon lifted his head at the sound of wheels on gravel and the slam of a car door. He'd locked the door to the shop but he heard the click of a key right before Syd walked in, followed by Letty and… Mia? He shot to his feet.

"Mi?"

Her name on his lips drew attention from the others in the room and her gaze skittered uncomfortably away from Brian and then Vince before landing on Dom, who was staring at her in surprise.

She crossed the space between him, wrapping her arms around him in a hug and when Dom's arms came up around her he could swear he felt the dampness of tears through his shirt. A silence had fallen over the garage as they all stared. In his mind she was fifteen years old again, crying and clinging to her big brother after their father's death. After a few minutes he sighed and gently drew her away.

"Mia it's okay. I'm right here."

She smiled, rubbing at the tears on her cheeks. "I know. I just… sometimes I thought I'd never see you again."

"What are you doing here?" he asked and her face fell. "It's not that I don't want to see you, Mia. It's just that…"

"I know, I know! You don't want me in danger." She scowled, her hands on her hips. "I'm tired of being left behind."

There was a stubborn light in her eyes that made him think growing up alongside Letty had affected her more than she'd let on.

"Fine. Fine. Then get your ass over here and make yourself useful."

0000

Giselle kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

When Braga had arrived he very clearly hadn't been happy with her. She'd wanted to make a break for it more than once, but she had nowhere to go and no one to turn to. She was alone here and she was in trouble. She'd always known that once she got mixed up with him she would never be truly free again. That she'd have to do things she didn't like. But she also knew that there was no way out.

He'd made her come along when he'd hit the clinic. He'd made her sit in the car and watch the place burn. He told her about the women they'd killed, how they'd begged for their lives, about their families, he'd whispered it in her ear like a lover telling her intimate secrets on the car ride back to the Villa. She'd wanted to cry. Instead she sat stonily in silence beside him. Any weakness on her part was a boost to his ego. It was a thrill to him to hurt her, to see her in pain. She wouldn't give him that satisfaction. She knew it was only a matter of time before he decided to kill her too. She was a liability.

She checked the pistol she'd tucked into her jeans for ammo then pulled out her cell phone, scrolling through the recent numbers. Picking one of the last ones she brought up her text screen.

"Braga is moving on you soon," she sent. "I wouldn't wait around for it to happen."

She stared down at the words a moment, telling herself she'd done the right thing. Sighing, she tucked the phone away and headed back towards the Villa. She was standing outside the rear door when the phone buzzed in her pocket and Giselle pulled it out.

"We're not waiting. Stay out of the main house."


	20. Burn it Down

Chapter 19: Burn it Down

"_Holy water cannot help you now  
See I've had to burn your kingdom down  
And no rivers and no lakes can put the fire out  
I'm gonna raise the stakes, I'm gonna smoke you out"_

_Seven Devils – Florence and the Machine_

The sun had been set for hours when the five cars sped beyond the city limits. Tires whooshed over pavement and engines roared with power. They shifted in tandem, criss-crossing one another as they cruised down the otherwise empty highway. As Rio faded into their rearview mirrors they all knew that this was it. There was no turning back.

In the lead car, Dom shifted gears and spared a glance at Mia sitting beside him. He hadn't wanted her to be involved, but if she had to be at least he could keep an eye on her. It was also a factor that Letty had insisted in being one of the drivers. They stood a better change with their best drivers behind the wheels. He knew that. He also knew that he had a hard time stepping back and letting some people make their own choices.

Mia unfolded the blueprint map that Syd, Letty, Brian and Vince had pieced together. There was the gate – which had probably been replaced since Vince had smashed through it. But structurally it was still a weak point.

The main house of the Villa was old and built primarily of wood. It would burn quickly in the hot Brazilian summer. That was their target for the explosives. Whatever they did they wanted to cause as much damage as possible.

"You ready for this, Papa?" Letty's voice filtered through his speakers. Mia pretended to gag in the passenger seat and he reached over to pinch her before switching to his headset.

"You bet you hot ass," he replied, just to get a rise out of Mia, who made a face at him.

"I can still hear *you* ya know, Dom," she complained.

"Too bad our girl didn't grow up a little with all that time spent at school," Letty laughed in his ear. Then she fell silent for a moment and when she spoke her voice was soft. "No second chances. You ready for this?"

"I'm ready to put that piece of shit Braga down so I can get back to taking care of my family."

"No more crazy stunts?" she asked, humor in her voice.

"Trouble found us this time, or rather, it found our friends."

"Family. Remember?"

"I won't forget, Let."

When she spoke again he could hear the smile in her voice. "You owe me a vacation after this."

"Oh yeah? Where at?"

"I don't care. Somewhere skank-free."

"So jealous," he laughed.

"Only cause you make me crazy."

His face fell for a moment and he stared hard out the front windshield so that he wouldn't see his sister looking at him. "You know I love you, right?"

Letty was quiet but he could picture her smile on the other end.

"I know."

0000

As the highway thinned down to one lane Vince and Brian pulled off, taking the same exit. Braga's Villa was a mere twenty minutes away now. The plan was officially in motion.

Brian and Vince stopped about a quarter mile away from the perimeter wall of the Villa. The exit had taken them down a little-used dirt road through the jungle. Once they broke the tree-line there was a good chance they'd be spotted by the guards manning the wall. The key was to not give them enough time. Brian exited his vehicle, hooking up the remote to the wheel and wiring the gas pedal as Vince armed the explosives throughout the car. Together they worked in silent efficiency. Once the car was prepped Brian got into the passenger side of Vince's car, booting up the small laptop computer.

"Ready when you are."

0000

In the country the darkness of the night was oppressive. Cutting the lights on their cars, Dom, Letty and Leon stopped as they came closer to the long drive that led to the Villa. They could see the lights in the distance, mounted on the walls and through the windows of the large house. There was activity on the perimeter. As Syd watched through the binoculars she could see men pacing along the length of the wall.

"Get in position," Dom said and he and Leon maneuvered their cars so that they were facing in the opposite direction. Gunning the engines they began to back up, watching over their shoulders as they kept the vehicles straight. Mia and Syd climbed into the back seats, reaching down to pull out identical grappling hooks mounted on crossbows. Leaning over, Mia rolled down the rear passenger window.

The cars slowed. They just had to wait for Brian and Vince to do their part.

0000

Vince kicked the car into gear, peeling out from the tree-line with the remote controlled car hot on his tail. In the passenger seat Brian struggled to tune out the jostling of the car beneath him as he controlled the other vehicle with the laptop. Through the camera he could see the back of V's car and the wall of the Villa growing closer and larger ahead of them.

Voices shouted in Portuguese and the first shots rang out, making both men wince as they scattered across the bullet-proof windshield.

"Do it now!" Vince shouted, hitting a button to deploy the ramp they had fixed to the trunk of the car. The remote-controlled vehicle hit it at high speed, launching up into the air. It sailed over the perimeter wall as the men shouted and ducked for cover, shooting wildly. The car tilted slightly, listing in the air for weightless moments as it plummeted forward from the force of the launch. Then with a scream of metal and shattered glass it was crunching through the main house, tearing through wood and siding and into support beams. The structure groaned and shuddered, folding inwards over the damage. Part of the third floor collapsed into the wreck made of several rooms on the second, and the car finally came to rest on the first, nose jutting out the opposite side, buried in rubble.

The Villa was in chaos.

"Now!" Brian shouted, hitting the switch for the explosives as Vince spun the car around, pulling the ramp back in. Dust flew in a circle with the tired of the car. Vince turned the wheel hard, shifting as his food pounded down on the gas.

With a series of booms the explosions tore through the main house of the Villa, shrapnel and car parts flying. Smoke and fire burst into the air, crackled onto the wood of the building, licking a violent path over broken furniture and papered walls. People fled, screams and ash floated through the air.

Braga marched out the front door his cheek streaked with soot and his eyes blazing with anger. He was shouting orders in Portuguese, ignoring the cries for help coming from the burning building. He snapped for Fenix and Eddie, stalking towards the garage. Another explosion ripped through the Villa, raining bits of wood and plaster down over them. Braga made the last few steps, yanking open the door to the garage. Over the shouting and the roar of the fire he heard the sound of a car engine gunning. He knew it. They would pay. Looking to Fenix he yanked open the door to his car.

"Kill them all."

0000

"The explosions are off," Brian's voice filtered through their car speakers and Dom and Leon slammed on the gas, their cars racing backwards toward the front gate of Braga's little hideaway. The girls leaned out of the windows and fired. The cables flew through the air, the hooks catching into the shiny black of the newly-replaced gate. Leon and Dom revved the engines of their cars as Mia chucked home-made smoke bombs out the window. She pulled her hand back and ducked as bullets scattered across the rear windshield, pelting the bullet-proof glass with a dull sound.

The guards were shouting and scrambling and the Villa's fire was spreading, roaring and crackling the old wood and pluming into the air. Soot and bits of plaster rained down and the smoke bombs made the visibility worse. The cars took off, wrenching the gate from the stone wall with a squeal of metal and the crunch of flying bricks. As they cleared the front of the Villa, moving out of the range of the guards' weapons, Syd and Mia opened the rear door and disconnected the cables that were attached to the grappling hooks. The warped metal gate skittered across the road and flew off into some trees. Tugging the doors shut the girls climbed back into the front seats.

"I think we probably got his attention," Leon said.

0000

Giselle had been expecting something ever since the vague text she'd received. Though she hadn't been expecting anything like this.

Explosions and fire and a carefully thought out attack that could be considered chaotic. She really had to get to know these people. And get on their good sides.

The text had clearly been a start. Without the warning she'd have been asleep in her room around now. And definitely dead. The Villa was a burning husk, a smoking shell. Giselle peered over the lid of a wooden container next to the old shed. She could hear the shouting and the sound of gunfire. She knew Braga would be out for blood, his dog Fenix hot on his heels.

She pressed against the side of the shed, inching along until she could peek around the corner. It was more chaos. Without a leader shouting orders the guards had scattered. Some had taken to the Jeeps intent on escaping. Others were scaling the walls to take their chances in the jungle. Still others stood at their posts, sifting through rubble for survivors, shooting at something over the front wall…

The front wall.

Reaching into the waistband of her jeans, Giselle withdrew the pistol she'd tucked there the night before. She scurried across the lawn, avoiding burning rubble and skirting around a body that had been thrown free from the blast. She reached the front gate just as the horrific squeal of twisting metal filled the air. She pressed her hands over her ears and crouched down, cringing in pain.

"O que está acontecendo?" she demanded of the nearest guard.

"Estamos sob ataque! Os terroristas em automóveis."

Giselle rolled her eyes. If anyone was a terrorist here it was them, running drugs and killing whomever got in their way. She thought back to the text. This had to be them. They had struck against Braga before he could. She found herself admiring that. She'd never had the guts to stand up to him. But these people had. They weren't going to run or curl up and roll over so that he could kill them without a fight.

Smashing the guard in the face with her pistol, Giselle ran out the wrecked gate just as a red Plymouth pulled up alongside it. She met the dark gaze of a familiar woman through the windshield. A woman who only days before had been her prisoner. A woman who was pointing a gun at her.

"Give me the gun and get in," Letty said. "Or I'm leaving you here to die with your master."

Without a second thought, Giselle chucked her pistol through the open window into the woman's lap and skirted around the car to yank open the passenger door and slide in. She could hear the guards shouting her name behind her, heard the ring of gun fire pattering across the trunk as Letty spun the vehicle away from the Villa. There was no going back.

And for that, she was glad.

_Portuguese Translations:_

_O que está acontecendo? – What's going on?_

_Estamos sob ataque! Os terroristas em automóveis. – We're under attack! Terrorists in cars._


	21. The Chase

Chapter 20: The Chase

"_I raise my flags, don my clothes  
It's a revolution, I suppose  
We're painted red to fit right in  
Whoa_

I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus  
This is it, the apocalypse"

_Radioactive – Imagine Dragons_

Braga wasn't all that surprised to learn Giselle had turned on him. In face he'd admit he was a little disappointed in himself. He should have ended her sooner. But no matter. She'd die with the rest of them. He threw his car into gear and peeled out of the garage with Fenix and two other cars behind him. He did not spare a second glance to the wreckage and flames of the Villa around him. It was just a place, and it could be replaced. The guards could be replaced. Drivers, he was used to replacing.

It would cost him, and that was the part that annoyed Braga, but he didn't let that linger in his mind. He focused on his target.

"Giselle is in the red Plymouth," he told Fenix through his headset. "Take it out."

"Got it," came the reply, and the cars peeled out of the broken gate and down the long drive towards the highway.

0000

Letty kicked her car into the next gear as Giselle turned to watch out the rearview mirror.

"We have four cars in pursuit," she said, her voice carrying through the system to the rest of the team.

"V, Bri, you guys in position?" Dom's voice filtered back to them and the two men murmured the affirmative. Giselle glanced towards Letty questioningly, but the other woman didn't look back at her, concentrating on staying well ahead of their pursuers.

Giselle could see she was a good driver, had probably been behind the wheel of a vehicle since before she would have legally been allowed to drive. It was like the car was an extension of her body. Few people drove like that. She'd seen Fenix drive that way before. But with him the car was also a weapon. When Giselle caught a glimpse of the green Gran Torino in the side mirror catching up to them she stiffened.

"Fenix is after us," she said. "He's the one to watch out for, the Gran Torino. Braga can drive but not nearly as well. Fenix is his guard dog. He'll send him after us specifically. He's probably pissed he didn't kill me sooner."

"Yeah? Well you're about to figure out how to make yourself real useful girl," Letty drawled, her expression showing that she was less than pleased to have the passenger in her car. Giselle figured it hadn't been her call to rescue the woman who'd held her prisoner only a few days ago.

"I'll need my gun back for that."

Letty seemed to hesitate then nodded and Giselle reached over to get the pistol from where it was stashed in the cup holder. She shifted to look over her shoulder, taking a slow breath. Fenix was coming up fast.

She turned back to look ahead of them, seeing the two other cars flanking them. Dom and Leon, she knew now. They kept speed with one another as the four cars, Fenix at point, drew closer. Giselle wanted to sink down into her seat. She wanted Letty to slam on the gas and take them away.

"Why don't you guys just outrun them?" she asked.

"You know as well as I do that it won't stop them. They know where my friend lives. They torched his wife's clinic. They killed two innocent women. You think that okay?" Letty's voice was icy, accusing.

"No…" Giselle's reply was weak. "I couldn't stop him.."

"Did you even try?"

0000

Fenix could feel the engine of his car roaring as he threw it into the next gear, his palm caressing the gear shift as he pressed down on the clutch. He could see the cars getting closer. He knew they weren't going as fast as they could have. They wanted him to catch them. But that didn't matter. They were in way over their heads.

Speeding up he swerved to the right, wedging between the Chevelle and the red Plymouth with Giselle in it. He heard the cars crunch together, saw both other vehicles swerve briefly before straightening out. He saw Giselle pointing her gun out the passenger window and grinned at her darkly before sharply turning the wheel. His car slammed into the red one, scraping metal and denting deep into the passenger's side. The other car swerved again as the woman driving downshifted and took her foot off the gas, turning the wheel to regain control.

Giselle took aim and fired off a few shots, but they embedded into the bullet-proof glass of his window. He blew her a kiss as her car sped up again and she glared at him in return.

He had made the mistake of forgetting about the Chevelle on his right and then suddenly his own vehicle was careening out of control as something slammed into him from the other side. He turned his head, catching a glimpse of a bald-headed man with muscular arms. Fenix swerved between his car and the red Plymouth, dodging another attempt at ramming him.

"I could use some back up!" he barked through his headset and was rewarded by one of the other drivers coming up to ram the Chevelle in the rear.

"Keep him and the one on the left busy for me," he muttered as he refocused on the women in the red vehicle. They had pulled further ahead and Fenix kicked it up to pursue as they streaked ahead of the remaining cars.

0000

Braga pulled up into the spot Fenix had vacated, between the two other cars now. He didn't care who these drivers were. He only cared that they would be dead soon and no longer a problem for them.

"Take them out," he ordered the other drivers, swerving wildly between the two to force them to slow down to not hit them. Eddie came up from behind, ramming the left-handed car from behind. It swerved slightly before righting itself and then shifted to prevent Eddie from coming up alongside or passing. Braga narrowed his eyes and turned hard to the left to ram into the vehicle from the side. It careened off the road, swerving into the long grass and kicking up mud and dirt, but the driver slowed to compensate, maneuvering back onto the road. However, the trick had gotten Eddie up ahead of them now and he took this chance to fire off several shots at them. The cars were bullet-proofed, but the tires weren't and one well-placed shot caught the front passenger tire. The car swerved, harder to control with a flat at high speeds, then shot up a rain of sparks when the rim scraped against the pavement. The vehicle slowed and eventually came to a stop on the side of the road.

Braga smiled as they sped past. One down, two to go.

0000

Leon cursed as he heard his rim squealing and scraping against the pavement. They could keep driving on it, but the car would be impossible to control at high speeds, and they'd ruin the wheel, making it impossible to even get the spare on.

"I'm going to put on the spare," he told Dom through his headset. "Then I'll be right back there."

"Watch yourself," Dom rumbled back. "One of them is falling back, probably to take care of you…"

"Shit," Leon muttered, fishing for the pistol he'd stashed under his seat. Syd was already moving to open the door but he grabbed her arm and yanked her back. "Stay in the car," he ordered. "Get down and stay out of sight."

"But Leon-" "I'm serious baby don't fight me on this."

He hit the automatic lock on the car and sat stiffly as Syd hunkered down in the back seat. He could see one of the cars driving back in their direction. It was the same on with the guy who'd shot out his tire. His jaw clenched. It was payback time.

0000

Dom didn't let himself worry about Leon and Syd as he concentrated on the two cars that were still dead set on running him off the road. One was riding his back bumper while the other swerved in from the left hand repeated, trying to knock into him. He had to concentrate to avoid the hits, and yanked his wheel hard enough to push the bastard back more than once. He could tell that Mia was on edge in the passenger seat, but she kept her cool, trusting him to keep them safe. Up ahead he could see Letty doing her damnedest to keep ahead of the green Gran Torino and only hoped she could hold onto her lead until they got to the others.

His gaze flicked to the rearview mirror and then he briefly met eyes with Mia who nodded slightly. The car behind him was coming up again, fast and Dom suddenly slammed on the brakes, his tires squealing against the pavement. The car that had been next to them kept flying ahead, slow to react and the pursuer did not fare any better. The front of his car slammed into the rear of Dom's, the hood knocking up against the bumper of the Chevelle. The driver tried to compensate by slamming on his own brakes, but he only signed his own death warrant as he lost total control of his vehicle. The back wheels were airborne and the car was nose down into the ground and for one ridiculous moment it was sliding across the highway like that before it flipped onto its roof. The momentum carried it and it continued to slide across the pavement, metal crunching and squealing as if it were being run across a cheese grater.

Pulling his attention back to the remaining car, Dom narrowed his eyes in concentration and shifted back into a higher gear.


	22. Can't Take Me Down

Chapter 21: Can't Take Me Down

"_We can't afford to be innocent  
Stand up and face the enemy.  
It's a do or die situation - we will be invincible.  
And with the power of conviction there is no sacrifice. "_

_Invincible – Pat Benatar  
_

Letty glanced into her rearview mirror to see the classic green Ford still in pursuit. She let him stay close enough to think he had a chance, but not close enough to be running her off the roar. In the passenger seat Giselle turned to look over her shoulder again and again. Letty could tell from the tension in her body that she was scared. This Fenix guy had to be bad news. That was why he was getting a little surprise.

"He's getting closer!" Giselle shouted, aiming her pistol out the window to fire off a couple of shots. One buzzed harmlessly past the car while another bit into the windshield. He gunned it, crashing into the back of Letty's car and she twisted her wheel to move with the force of the hit, slamming the clutch as she shifted up and sped ahead once again.

"Are you playing with him?" Giselle asked her.

"Don't want him to give up, girl. Got to let him be a little confident. Just two little girls in a car. He's thinking he's got us. Thinking it's gonna be real easy."

"And is he wrong?"

"You don't know the half of it."

0000

Braga cursed under his breath as the car faded into the background. He knew that the driver was dead or dying. He didn't mourn the loss of the man, only felt irritated by the loss of backup. He narrowed his eyes as the grey Chevelle fell in alongside him, turning his head to meet the dark gaze of the other man. The eyes were equally hard, a cold sort of anger that might have frightened other men.

Braga did not scare easily.

He had loaded his specialty bullets in his hand gun earlier just for this sort of scenario. It would be stupid to come after him without tricking out your car, and that meant bullet-proofing as much of the vehicle as you could. In Brazil it was common practice to do so. On the crowded roads car jackings were incredibly common, and people didn't want to be worried about being threatened with a gun through their window.

But there were ways around that, if you were more than willing to break a few laws. A man like Braga broke laws for breakfast. Finding someone to sell him the rounds had been a little hard, since the US had cracked down on manufacturing them. But other places hadn't, and he was more than willing to pay for imports.

He met the other man's gaze again, driving alongside him as he raised the gun, aiming right for his head. He smiled, and pulled the trigger.

0000

Letty glanced out the corner of her eye as they drove past a sign and hit the button for her phone.

"It's me. We're passing the exit before you now."

"Got you," Vince's voice came through the speakers in return. "We're ready here."

"This is all about timing, V. No pressure," Letty said with a laugh.

"Yeah, thanks a lot baby girl. No pressure."

Giselle watched out the rear window as Fenix came closer. She could see the man loading up a shotgun and shifted uneasily in her seat.

The first blast fired hit the rear of the car, shattering the brake light on the left hand side. Bits of red flew into the air, and Letty grimaced as she swerved on the road, not wanting to give him an easy target. Giselle unbuckled herself and climbed into the back seat, checking the ammo in her pistol. Taking a deep breath through her nose she lifted her head, watching Fenix level the shotgun out his window. She bit down on her lower lip and inched down her window slightly. Sticking the pistol through the gap she tried to aim with the constant swerving of the vehicle. She and Fenix fired at the same time. The shotgun blasts bit into the side of the car just below her window, and Giselle winced back, knowing that even the bullet-proofed siding would not hold up against another shot there.

Her own shot had missed its mark, but had grazed Fenix's arm. He hissed in pain, yanking his hand and the gun back inside and tossing it into the passenger seat as he steered the car after Letty's red Plymouth.

"We have a plan?" Giselle asked from the back seat, sprawled on her back as she stared at the single bullet remaining in the pistol's chamber.

Letty smiled, a dangerous flash of white teeth as she glanced at the Gran Torino in her rearview mirror.

"Sit back and watch, girl."

Slowing, she let the Ford catch up, then swerved at the last minute as another car came careening at high speeds off the exit towards them. It spun around in front of the Ford which was moving at too high a speed to avoid it. The ramps in the back deployed as the Gran Torino hit the car and suddenly it was airborn, sailing way up into the sky and Giselle stared wordlessly as Letty's foot eased off the gas. The Gran Torino spun, and Giselle swore she'd never seen anything more unbelievable in her life. She thought it would never come down.

And then it was nose-first in the pavement, flipping and spinning and twisted metal and a screeching noise filled the air and the crunching of the frame. Gas and fluids were leaking from the vehicle as it rolled to a stop, and the engine was smoking. Fire licked at the metal frame and the green siding and Letty and Giselle sat there and watched it burn as Vince and Brian drove up.

"He's dead," Giselle murmured as she watched the wreckage for any sign of movement. "He's really dead."

0000

Dom swerved his car so the front bumper rammed against the side of Braga's vehicle, and the shot buzzed harmlessly past the roof as it went wide. Braga cursed and tried to aim again but he was forced to drop the pistol when Dom slammed into him again, unable to control the vehicle with only one hand.

Dom pulled ahead, his gaze cutting sideways towards Braga's car. He maneuvered the Chevelle, foot pressing down on the clutch as he shifted and overtook Braga by a car length. He watched the other man try to catch up, swerving towards him.

Dom hit the brakes, yanking his wheel. He spun, slamming his car hard into Braga's. The other man pummeled against him and bounced back, his car sliding sideways and then rolling once… twice, before his car came to a stop. Dom yanked open his door.

"Stay in the car, Mia," he ordered, stalking towards the flipped vehicle.

Braga was scrambling, his hand searching for his gun. Where had it fallen? Cuts and bruises married his face but his injuries were superficial. His hand closed around the butt of the pistol just as a large hand reached through the shattered window and yanked him out. Broken glass cut into his arms and shoulders and Braga struggled as he was slammed up against the side of the car. He raised the gun but Dom batted it out of his hand. It skittered across the blacktop a few feet away. Dom raised his hand, curling it into a fist before he punched Braga in the face, hard. Blood wet his lips and the smaller man spat it out, lunging up to slam his face into Dom's.

They grappled for control a little bit, but Dom was larger than Braga, who was not really used to doing his own dirty work. Lifting him up by the collar Dom slammed him into the car again and again, his fists pummeling into him until he was limp and bloodied. He vaguely became aware of Mia screaming his name, his raw knuckles and the blood splatters against his shirt. He dropped the drug lord to the ground and lifted his head.

He could see Mia stepping out of the car as Letty drove up followed by Vince. The two cars came to a stop and the tall woman who stepped out of Letty's passenger side had his hands curling into fists again. It had been Leon's idea to get her help. Apparently it had worked out, but he still couldn't say he trusted her. She stared at the man lying crumpled at his feet, then stalked towards them and aimed a gun at Braga's unconscious form.

"Hey, he's not going to be any more trouble," Brian was saying. "We can have the feds take him in."

She shook her head. "Let him live and he'll just keep hurting people."

She fired the gun.

No one could say they were sorry.

0000

"Leon! Lee, you there?" Dom's voice was coming through the speaker and Syd leaned over to kick the bound man struggling in the back seat before she pressed the button to reply.

"He's just changing the tire, Dom. We're fine. We'll be there soon… though uh… we have a little problem."


	23. Our Separate Ways

Chapter 22: Our Separate Ways

"_I could tell you was into me, from my instant chemistry  
As I reflect memory, you ride or you die for me  
I'll go to war over you I don't give a fuck about showing you"_

_Neva End - Future_

The team found themselves sitting around Leon's kitchen table with a round of beers. Some of them were a little scraped up, others a little sore, most of them pretty tired, but they were all alive.

They had some new friends, Giselle sitting uneasily beside Letty and Mia, though most of them had been family longer than they could remember. A silence had fallen over them after they'd sat down, some still too shell-shocked to say anything, others were more than a little bit on their minds.

Finally, it was Brian who spoke, rubbing a hand over his face. "I had to contact the feds," he said softly. "We made a mess of the Villa and out there on the highway. No way the authorities weren't going to notice. So I'm going to have to take responsibility."

"Will you get in trouble?" Mia asked softly.

"Probably, but I was sent in to bring down Braga. That's what I did. With Vince's help."

"What about the rest of us?" Leon asked. "There's no way they're going to buy you did all that shit alone with just V."

"I was thinking about that," Brian admitted. "I could definitely draw up some paperwork to say I got Leo and Syd to help, even Mia. They might frown on it but since Braga dragged us out to Brazil I would have had to play a lot of it by ear anyway."

"I just have to make myself scarce before they show," Dom said lowly and Letty leaned close to him, wrapping her arm around his waist.

"I won't tell them you were here," Brian said. "But I don't have the authority to give you a deal. Maybe some day…" he let the sentence hang, not wanting to get anyone's hopes up.

Mia looked upset, though she'd come to terms with the fact that she would not be seeing much of her brother since the incident with jacking the trucks. Especially because he'd seemed hell-bent on doing more illegal shit each place he went. She'd already yelled and cried at him over it. It hadn't changed a thing.

Even here, he'd been trying to do the right thing and they were wrapped up in drug lords and people trying to kill them again.

"One day we'll get you home, Dom," she said, her voice full of conviction and he couldn't help but smile at her, reaching over to ruffle her hair until she shoved at him. They shared a laugh. At least some things never changed.

"Vince is out of jail for good now," Brian said. "We can all head back to LA. We'll make sure Mia's safe, Dom."

"I appreciate it."

0000

Dom and Letty were the first to leave the next morning. She'd left the pretty red Plymouth behind, passing the keys to Giselle. The other woman was going to be testifying on Brian's behalf. She'd destroyed her whole world and come out on the other side whole. She was going to need a new start.

Tossing her bag into the trunk she hugged Leon and Syd, promising to come back to visit again. Brian got a punch in the arm before she turned to hug Vince, making him promise to watch over Mia without being a creep. Mia got the tightest hug, two sisters who'd known each other since childhood. It was hard that they could not see each other very often. But Mia knew Dom was Letty's everything. And that she would give up anything just to be with him. She didn't resent that. She was glad that someone loved her brother so much.

After Dom said his goodbyes, trading low words with both Brian and Vince and pulling Mia into a tight hug that had her crying like a baby.

After a goodbye that was far too long for anyone's comfort they finally climbed into the Chevelle and Dom turned over the engine, pulling away from the little house in Cordoso Moreira and heading for the nearest highway.

0000

Brian, Vince and Mia boarded the plane from Sao Paolo back to LA on a red eye flight. They were all silent, a dozen thoughts whirling through their heads. Brian was on suspension from his job as the strike against Braga and his lackeys was investigated. They were sure it would turn out, having Giselle's testimony more than helped. And no one in the FBI was really mourning the death of the drug lord.

Vince was not sure what to do with his newfound freedom, and had mulled over it for a while before Mia brought up the shop back in LA. It had been Dom's shop, and his father's before him. Vince had worked in that place since he could hold a wrench. It was like a second home to him. A good mechanic could bring in a nice chunk of money, and it would help out Mia with the house. She would go back to her job at the hospital and they'd do the best they could.

He even offered Brian a part time job until he got reinstated, and Mia had stared at them in shock of their newfound brotherhood, shaking her head and muttering about men under her breath.

0000

Back in Rio Syd and Leon talked about reopening the clinic. The pain was still so new and raw, but then she thought of how much the people here needed doctors. How much Mrs. Alves had said it meant to their community. Braga had tried to destroy that. Maybe he'd destroyed a building. He'd killed people. He'd hurt their loved ones. But he was dead now. And they were alive.

She decided to get to work on the rebuilding as soon as they could afford it.

Though with a new baby on the way, that might have to be on hold for just a little while.

0000

Dom and Letty found themselves leaving behind the familiar warm beaches and cultures of South America as they boarded a plane to Tokyo. It was a call from Han that had spurned them to travel so far outside their comfort zone. He made note of mentioning the racing scene and offered them jobs at his buddy's garage.

Letty reached for Dom's hand as they disembarked into the crowded airport. There were a million faces around them and none they knew. No cops after them, no feds. No criminal enterprises to get wrapped up in – yet. She squeezed his hand and he smiled, pulling it free to wrap his arm around her shoulders and draw her close, dropping a kiss atop her head.

"I think what Mia said was true," she murmured softly. "One day we'll get home."

"Baby," he murmured. "Home is with you."

_~Fin_


End file.
